Lacuna
by MissPaper
Summary: I have a chance at a new life. A chance to change things in a world that is famous for its tragedies. A chance for life long friendships...A chance for love. All of it hinges on a key event, all of it leads up to that one moment. Can I change the fate of the Uchiha clan? Can I pull the brothers up and out of the darkness they fall into? Only time will tell.
1. Chapter 1

**It has been a seriously long time since I submitted any writing. I hit a bit of a wall, I'm afraid. It kept me down for a good long time until I determined that I might need to switch fandoms for a little while. So thus, here I am in the Naruto fandom, having flashbacks to high school. But as the manga has just concluded, I feel very dissatisfied with the story. I always knew they would kill my favorite character, but seeing him die _twice_ was a little much;_ you got your point across Kishimoto, he's gone!_**

**So here we are. A shameless self insert. While the character is very much like me, she won't be me. In fact, her past life isn't mentioned all too much beyond reference to the manga's order of events. As such, I'll warn you; her character will be a little dull these first few chapters since toddlers don't have all that much going on up in their noggins anyhow. **

**Bear in mind while reading, I do my research, but not everything will be perfect. Dates are already a little skewed, and I would love feedback- you're certainly welcome to correct me, I was practically a troll in the Mass Effect forums- but know that most of the "mistakes" are intentional. **

**Anyway. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this fun little project! I have no idea how long this is going to be, and knowing my finicky muse, it could be dropped in a heartbeat...All the same, welcome to the day I died. **

**-Ms. P**

**(Naruto © Masashi Kisimoto, I only claim ownership of any OCs mentioned, and of course my Mayu)  
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><p>There was nothing. As I suspected.<p>

Yet, somehow, getting a moment of revelry seemed to defeat the point. It drew forth the question; if I was dead, and there was no afterlife, how was I still in possession of a mind to wonder at these things?

Obviously my body was gone. I couldn't see, hear, feel, smell, or taste. I was floating in a sea of nothing, without even my own heartbeat to comfort me. It was an indescribable sensation, for I knew without a doubt that I was dead. This wasn't a coma, or some dream, I was truly well and gone. That seemed to be the only fact I could be sure of, at this point.

It gave me time, I supposed, to look back on my life. I felt a serene detachment that had been absent from my living hours. Now that I knew I was well and gone, there was nothing to be afraid of anymore.

All in all, I hadn't been anything special. I'd died at twenty-two from an unavoidable heart condition. One that had been predicted from my premature birth, and pushed to the back of my mind. An electrical problem that caused my heart to beat irregularly, and occasionally misfire to the point that I would get light headed. That's all it was, and I was told all my young life to think nothing of it, never to allow it to hold me back.

It all came on so fast. The last few months of my life were spent flickering in and out of consciousness. Silent clots had formed in my legs and neck, and overtook me one day at work. I must have given that poor customer quite the scare when I handed them their change, and passed out. After that day, I never left the hospital. Confined to a bed, and hooked up to machines to keep the blood pumping through me. But the misfires had become erratic, and like an engine that was steadily falling apart, my heart started to fail.

I don't remember saying goodbye to my family, my boyfriend. I did remember the faint mocking heartbeats though. With their steady, healthy rhythms, clutched close to mine, as if to remind me of my frailty. I remember hands clasped tight, warm tears dripping down onto me. I remember voices trying to speak to me through water, and the word "love" repeated over, and over again.

And then, nothing.

So that's what it all amounted to? Mediocre grades, bronze sports medals, a scrape by job, and college tuition. That's what my life stacked up to. I couldn't feel anger, or sadness about it now. But it still felt...lacking.

A faint desire to do more. That's all it took to stir the miasma around me.

And suddenly, I was no longer floating in a sprawling nothing.

Now, I was in a sea of stars.

The galaxy bloomed around me, slow and steady. Each point was equidistant from me, everything clear down to the tiniest atom. I drifted along in a cosmic river that had an infinite number of bends and soon, I began to tip down, like I was being poured into an empty glass. Slowly I filled the walls, bathed in darkness yet again.

This was different though, I was underwater, safe and warm. Now it was time to sleep, to dream, and to await the new world.

There was a great passing of time. It could have been seconds, but I knew it was years. There were flashes of light, bursts of memory. Faces swam in and out of my vision, grins and whispered love. All of it flowed around me, and became me, at the same time. Until my consciousness found root once more, and I came to tread upon the earth again.

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><p>"Can you say, "Mama?"" The woman in front of me cooed, her soft brown eyes were full to bursting with love as she held me in her arms. The kitchen was bathed in the warm light of morning, and smells of a nearby garden floated through the open paper door nearby. The woman's presence enveloped me, and her dark hair fell around us like a curtain, little flickers of light peeking through to light up her eyes.<p>

I was in soft clothes, my little limbs covered in knitted cotton, dyed a lovely peach. For the first time, I felt the spark of control catch, and ignite. My mind had control over this body now, and things started to make sense once more. Of course, it'd taken so long for me to re learn all the basic, instinctive movements when I felt I should already know them, that my mother likely thought me an invalid.

She had no idea that the reason I was so behind, was that my consciousness was already fully formed, and struggling against the tiny, unfamiliar body it'd been saddled with.

"Ma….ma…" Getting my lips to form the words was so difficult. I couldn't remember ever having this much trouble in my old body. But then, most of my childhood was a blur anyways. And now I had to do it all over again.

This delighted the woman, which sent a shiver of happiness through me. Her full, rose colored lips pulled into a beautiful smile and she nuzzled me closer. Her approval made me giggle and coo in a way that I would normally find completely undignified. But hey, there was no one else around, and I couldn't be more than two anyways. So at least it was expected of me.

"Katsuo! Come in here, Mayu said her first word!"

There were hurried footsteps, and a great wash of comfort and serenity washed over me when another face swam into my blurry child-view.

The man standing over me was tall, and broad shouldered with bright turquoise eyes and tousled red hair. He had large, calloused hands that wasted no time in scooping me up and lifting me into the air. I felt like I was flying! Another giggle escaped me, and the smile that lit his features in response could have outshone the sun.

"Did she now?" He laughed quietly and brought me back down, safe, tucked against his chest, "You don't think you could do it again for Daddy, hmm, my little evening star?"

Oh I was more than happy to! I opened my mouth to speak...but at the last moment my tongue spasmed, and I ended up doing nothing more than blowing spit bubbles at him.

He laughed and tickled me, but I grew frustrated. I wanted to impress this man, badly! I felt ridiculous, tucked away in this little form, unable to show them how far along I really was.

"D…" I huffed a breath, made sure my tongue was in the right spot, then spat the word out before my body could betray me again, "Daddy!"

Both of their faces colored in shock. And they were quiet for a moment, eyes filled with wonder. Then, their expressions changed to that of pure joy. The red haired man, who I then dubbed father, turned to mother and put an arm around her waist, holding me up between them. Mother covered her mouth with both hands, letting out a little laugh of disbelief.

"Rina...Kami has truly shown his favor today. To think, our little Mayu finally speaks." Mother nodded, running her fingers gently through my hair.

I wanted to impress them, I wanted to make up for the apparent time I'd been set back. The more I concentrated, the more in focus everything became. I could see what kind of house we were in, with wood paneled floors and walls. Tatami mats, paper doors, and lanterns hanging about. There was a word for the culture, but my mind just couldn't process it. I had to let looking at everything go for a moment, as I could only focus on a few things at once. My mind seemed determined to skip around like a grasshopper, but I grabbed the reins and made it focus. If I could just get one sentence out, to taste their approval one more time…

"I'm...so happy, to meet you... Mama, and Daddy." And I was. Mother gasped and Father looked like he might faint. I felt only sensations after that, saw only a wash of color as I drifted back into the void. It was such an effort to get my mind and body to cooperate. But I knew they were happy. For the rest of that day and night they doted on me, tried to get me to speak more. With some of the smells, I think mother even made a special meal in celebration.

In my own plane of existence, I smiled to myself. Wouldn't they be surprised when I got more control of myself. Of course, now that my body was back on auto pilot I was thinking much more clearly. And the panic started to set in.

I was _alive_!

In another world, in another body. Katsuo, Rina...Mayu. Those were Japanese names. But that man, father, he was red haired. And his features didn't look the least bit asian. He had doe eyes, and a strong jaw with bits of stubble on it still. My mother though, she looked more the part, with her demure brown eyes and straight black hair. And the decor, was I born in feudal Japan? No, I couldn't be. Their clothes were at least somewhat modern, and I could have sworn I saw a ceiling fan.

I cursed, finding it hard to concentrate. It was harder being aware of the passage of time, I could feel the hours passing while I locked myself away in my little box, trying to sort out just where the hell I was.

But for some reason, amid all the terror at being reborn; I felt calm.

This heart was beating steady and true. I had all my memory and experience from my past life, which would set me leagues ahead of all my peers. And I apparently had a loving family. Maybe this life wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe I could make a difference in this world, in this time.

Amidst all these thoughts, I noticed myself slowly coming back up to the surface. I was dimly aware that my mother had gone out to what looked like the local market place. The sun was high up in the sky, and it felt good against my skin. There were brightly colored banners and signs with illegible markings all over them; I could only assume this was some sort of kanji, and would simply have to learn this at the pace of everyone else. The crowds of people bustling back and forth were wearing all manner of clothing. But some of them caught my eye. They looked familiar, and I couldn't place where from. My mind was too sluggish, safe and warm with Rina. Mother was carrying me in a sling on her front, and held a basket with her other hand. She was looking down at some plump eggplant when another voice called out to her.

When she turned, I did as well.

And I immediately started to cry.

The woman walking up to us gave a little laugh as Rina tried to shush me, "How odd! Usually Mayu-chan is a very calm child. I wonder if I've upset her!"

Rina laughed, her embarrassment clear, and apologized several times, trying to calm me down as my cheeks began to redden. But there was no stopping the droning wails that ripped from my chest, "I don't know what's gotten into her! Surely it isn't you, Mikoto," She paused, rocking me gently and stepping under the overhang to try and keep me from the afternoon sun, "Maybe she is just too hot…"

"Let me hold her." The voice came from my mother's knee, and she looked down to the little boy standing there, only three years old himself. Rina's face pulled into a relieved smile as she plucked me from the sling.

The force of my cries began to push me back into unconsciousness. And when the little boy's arms wrapped around me, sure and strong even in his extreme youth, I couldn't help but feel a little glimmer of hope in the sudden despair gripping me. As I began to quiet, I heard my mother give a little sigh of relief. Mikoto laughed and put a hand on her shoulder, as my eyes began to close,

"Yes, my little Itachi really does have a calming presence, wouldn't you say?"

As I descended into the black, I could only stare up at what I could barely believe; the serene, chocolate colored eyes, of Itachi Uchiha.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2, figured I'd get it up quick since I'm writing these things like I'm on fire! Still got my writing quota for November, after all. **

**Here we see Mayu gain a little bit more of her mind back. She becomes a devious little thing, that's for sure. Kindof still in the prologue stages of the story. The real 'meat' of the tale doesn't begin for a while yet. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it. So just hold on till then!**

**-Ms. P**

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><p>It was a good long time before I could come back to the surface. Before I <em>wanted <em>to, for that matter.

I was in, I had to spare a moment to collect my thoughts...I was in...The _Naruto Universe_.

Just saying that felt ridiculous. It was a comic drawn by some strange man a sea away from me. I'd read the last chapter just a few weeks before I started to get really sick. It wasn't real. And sure, I'd enjoyed it during high school, and followed up on it afterwards. But it wasn't. Real. I knew the difference. I had to. The fact that I'd died and come back to life for a second chance was crazy enough. But _here_, of all places?!

But…

I opened my eyes a crack, just to check.

Yup. We were in the Uchiha compound again. Turns out my mother, Rina, and Mikoto Uchiha were good friends growing up. My mother, an Uchiha! Imagine that. Absurd. And of course, guess who couldn't keep his hands off me now? Ol' soft hearted Itachi himself. The boy took every opportunity to steal me out of mother's arms and walk with me in the gardens. He seemed determined to pull me out of my shell.

"Ah, you're doing much better now, Mayu-chan!" He said, his eyes getting big, and a smile lighting his little face. He was holding my hand, helping me toddle around the stone paths. I wanted to scoff, take my hand from his, and walk on my own. But of course, my stupid body wasn't going to cooperate. As soon as I wrenched my plump toddler hand from his, I began to tilt dangerously forward. The little boy was remarkably fast already, and held me up, grabbing me around my chest and pulling me to him.

Though, this was nowhere near the death machine that was the missing-nin from the comics, and I was only a few inches shorter than him at this point.

So we both went toppling into the nearest fountain.

"Eh! Itachi! Be careful you little devil!" Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed on to the back of little Itachi's shirt and pulled us both out of the water, coughing and sputtering.

A boy, who couldn't be older than six fell back on his butt, pulling us with him into his lap. He shrieked when our soaked bodies splashed all over his shirt, and rolled away, causing us to face-plant into the ground. Somehow, Itachi managed to get under me, so I had a bit of a cushion, and he took both of our weights.

"Oh no! Hey, sorry!" The boy jumped to his feet, and ran over to us, pulling Itachi up and out of the dirt, and dusting me off. Somehow, my connection to my body was remarkably clear, so I simply sat back in the nearby grass and started wiping the dirt from my little peach shirt and bloomers. The boy was tall for his age, with wavy, dark hair and piercing onyx eyes. He was rather pale, but looked to be healthy enough, and prone to smiling, even though now he looked nothing but worried.

"Shisui-kun…" Itachi rubbed at his eyes, looking like he was holding back tears, "My nose.." just as he said the words, blood began to drip down his nose, which had been squashed into the ground. The boy, Shisui, who's name sounded oddly familiar, knelt next to Itachi and drew out a cloth from his back pocket, pressing it to the child's nose.

"Sorry Itachi," Shisui sighed, holding the cloth firm while the little boy's big eyes latched onto mine. I drew back some, it looked like he could see right through me. But..something was bothering me.

"You're not holding it right." I sighed, pushing myself to my feet and walking calmly over to the two boys. I pushed Shisui out of the way, though I suspected he let me purely out of shock. Taking the rag from his hand, I tilted Itachi's head down so the blood wouldn't drain back into his throat, and pressed a clean spot on the cloth back to his nose, "There. Now you don't have to worry about choking."

There was a moment of silence, then I heard the shattering of ceramic.

I turned around; mother and Mikoto were standing in the doorway to the kitchen, looking absolutely flabbergasted with a broken plate at their feet.

"M-Mayu?" mother said hesitantly. In that moment, my clarity faded. I fell back onto my rump in the dirt and looked around blearily. A haze descended over my mind once again, and I barely registered four pairs of Uchiha eyes riveted on me in that moment.

"Your...daughter..is...um…" Shisui got to his feet, scratching his head and looking down at the two toddlers in the dirt. Meanwhile, Itachi crawled over to me, and took my hand wordlessly, his wide eyes never leaving my bleary ones. I yawned, and cooed at a passing butterfly.

Mother and Mikoto rushed over to us. Mikoto checked on Itachi's nose, and luckily the bleeding had stopped, but the boy still sat there sniffling. Rina pushed my hair about to look for injuries, but upon finding none only stared at me in a mix of wonder and confusion.

"What was that just now, Rina?" Mikoto asked, glancing down at me, and then to Itachi's hand still holding mine.

"I...don't know." mother said, her brows furrowing as she held my face in her hands, looking in my eyes as if she hoped to find answers there. But they were simply the glazed eyes of a toddler, staring past her and through to the bright mid morning sky, "Ever since last week she has been acting...different. Only sometimes though, like that little outburst." She pressed her lips together, "I'm not sure what to make of it. Do you think it might have something to do with the sharingan? Or perhaps it's the bit of Uzumaki in her…"

Mikoto raised an eyebrow, "I thought Katsuo never showed any of the Uzumaki traits beyond that hair of his. And the fact that the man _never _gets sick."

"He hasn't." Rina said worriedly, "That's why he is a carpenter. And I've never awakened any of the Eye jutsu from our family. I never even went to the academy."

"It could be latent…" Mikoto offered, her brows furrowing, "Sometimes Kekkei Genkai can sleep deeply, and awaken generations later. That's the only reason some of the Uzumaki clan have survived."

After a beat of silence, and a lack of response from mother, "So..?" Mikoto said warily, looking back down at me. As if he understood what they were talking about, Itachi scooted closer, his hand pulling mine over to his chest. Frowning, Mikoto took Itachi in her arms and stood up, while mother swung me up into hers. They walked into the kitchen, and mother looked down at me, rocking gently back and forth,

"So...I don't know. Maybe this is just some sort of build up from that year she fell so far behind. All we can do is wait and see."

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><p>In the following months, whatever happened when I fell into the fountain with Itachi jump-started my mind. I connected to my body more and more frequently, reveling in all the possibilities at hand now that I had another chance at life, in a world where I knew everything that would happen!<p>

But that also gave me a rather strict set of rules, and a hell of a deadline.

I turned three in the blink of an eye, and winter passed through. Itachi was soon four, and Mikoto announced she was pregnant with Sasuke not long after my birthday celebration. Things were moving fast, and if I remembered the timeline correctly, it wouldn't be long till Naruto was born and the whole village went to shit. But for now, it looked like Mikoto and Rina were closer than ever. Itachi and I saw each other nearly every day. It was nicer than I expected, to have a companion. Especially one that didn't act like the stereotypical rambunctious four year old. He was a calming presence, and it was always very easy to gather my thoughts around him.

The rule I had to follow was rather simple; don't freak mother and father out too badly. The more I connected with my body, the easier it became to think clearly, and behave like the adult I was. But at the same time, this body opened up a whole new path of thinking for me. I saw through the eyes of a child. Had the boundless energy which could be curtailed at the most inopportune times. One minute I'd be walking around and playing, and the next I'd run flat out of energy and need a nap. It was beyond frustrating.

One afternoon I was sitting with my favorite playmate in my family's livingroom. We were coloring with waxy red pencils in Pre-Academy coloring books. We sat on the tatami mats, and drew in silence. Mother was in the next room, cooking dinner, and Mikoto was to come pick Itachi up some time later that night. She and Fugaku were having a rare night to themselves, it seemed. Though, if I knew anything of Itachi's father from the stories, their date night was likely a pro-clan rally that would eventually lead to civil war.

I grimaced, and pressed the crayon harder into the paper, breaking off the tip and ruining the mediocre rose I'd been attempting to draw. I'd been a rather skilled artist in my past life, and it was a hard pressed path to reclaim those skills; but I didn't have much else to do with my time- that I could get away with- so practicing drawing it was.

"Mayu-chan?" Itachi said quietly, looking up from his drawing. I almost snorted; it was the Hidden Leaf insignia. While most of the Uchiha kids would be drawing fans all over the place, his allegiance was already clear.

"Sorry." I mumbled, crumpling up the paper and tossing it into the trash across the room. Of course, it missed because my hand eye coordination was that of a three year old. I almost missed the days where I was halfway conscious all the time. They weren't nearly as disappointing.

"Are you sad, Mayu-chan?" Itachi set down his crayon and sat up to look at me with those steady eyes of his. Even as a child, he was already the picture of serenity.

"Sometimes." I said honestly, meeting his gaze. I saw myself in his eyes, something I doubted I'd be used to for a very long time yet. Curly auburn hair, brown eyes, so different from my past self. But it was the face I'd be stuck with till this world killed me. Though seeing as it was significantly more dangerous than my last, I was likely to die before I hit eighteen.

His brows furrowed, and Itachi sat forward, looking at me intently, "I wanna help." he said seriously.

I leaned away from him some, shocked at his frankness. Already, he was turning into the perfect weapon for Danzo and the elders. It was then that I realized, I could change that. I couldn't believe I didn't have the revelation sooner. The boy was practically glued to me; and future self notwithstanding, he was a _four _year old. Young, and _very _impressionable.

"Stay with me." I said, scooting closer to him, and taking his hands in mine, I tried to use my most convincing childish voice, "Be my bestest friend. Then, when we get grown up, we can get married, and live in the Moon Kingdom!" I'm not sure where the Moon Kingdom bit came from. But hey, it was tropical, somewhat peaceful, and far away from all the craziness that would go down in the Land of Fire in a few years time. If I could foster his affection for me, as selfish as it was, and pull him away from "clan" and "village" and just let him be a normal kid, maybe….maybe this story could play out very differently.

His eyes widened, and I saw innocence swirling in their depths, filled with a heavy sadness that he was far too young to possess. I'd nearly forgotten that the Third Great Ninja War was still raging, or was likely freshly done. There was no way for me to tell, really. I still had yet to learn to read this language. Hopefully it wasn't too late.

I held my breath while I waited for him to say something. Then, a smile broke across his features. A true, child like smile, "The Moon Kingdom?"

I nodded encouragingly, grinning back at him, "Yeah. Where it's summer all year, and flowers are always big, and pretty. The water is warm, and the sun shines bright. All the time!"

Itachi's eyes positively sparkled, before I'd even finished my explanation, he nearly tackled me in a hug, "Yes! I wanna go there!" He pulled back and pressed his forehead to mine, "You'll be there too, Mayu-chan," He giggled, and whispered with his cheeks coloring, "as my wife!" I couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up at his words too. To our ears, they sounded downright silly. We sat there, high pitched laughter escaping us though we tried to keep it in.

The wind blew outside, and the chimes hung around the modest garden sent out pure, ringing notes. Itachi and I quieted, though his smile didn't fade. Our foreheads still pressed together and he pulled me back into a hug, "I promise, Mayu-chan. We'll go there together. To the Moon Kingdom."

I hugged him back, as far around as my little arms would go. It dawned on me, that while I was so little, and with no concept of how the physics of this world worked, and the whole jutsu system, I wouldn't be able to do much till I was at least through the academy. But, I would have plenty of time to save at least one soul till then.

It was time for me to fix things.

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><p><strong>Drop a review if you feel like it! Tell me what'cha think!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Heyo, I keep writing them, so up they go. Don't get used to updates this quick though, I'm pretty inconsistent when it comes to this kinda stuff. I like this chapter, things start to fall into a comfortable rhythm...for now.**

**Enjoy, and please review!**

**-Ms.P**

**(Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto, Mayu and other OCs are mine)**

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><p>It was the hottest summer I'd seen yet in Konohagakure, when Sasuke came into the world.<p>

I was there, standing next to Itachi when Fugaku brought the baby out to us. We were packed into the Main House living room with what seemed like half the clan along with us. Several fans were buzzing along as best they could, and the doors to the garden were open wide in the hopes that a friendly breeze might make the room less stifling.

The multiple children crowded in with all their excited parents were clinging to popsicles my mother had brought for dear life. I was tempted to rub mine all over my face. But that would likely cause my poor mother even more of an inconvenience. Seeing as she'd been in the room to help birth the child.

Shisui sat next to Itachi and I, all three of us practically bouncing in anticipation of the new arrival. A pure blooded Uchiha, just like Itachi, and sure to be one of the strongest of his generation! Of course, I was excited for other reasons. I knew that if I managed to stop Itachi from destroying the clan, Sasuke would turn out much differently than the original story intended. Two lives for the price of one, it seemed.

Itachi held my hand, despite how saturated the room was with heat. He didn't care, since that day nearly a year ago, he'd made good on his promise to stay by my side. Recently turned five, he'd begun to speak more calmly, and learn to read and write in preparation for entrance to the academy that fall. He was teaching me too, at my own request. I _had _to know what was happening!

"I'm excited." He said quietly, his eyes trained on the stairs leading up to where they'd heard his mother's cries for the last few hours. He'd scarcely budged since we sat down, and held my hand in a vice grip.

"To meet your little brother?" I asked in just as low a voice.

He nodded, eyes flicking over to me. He grinned one of his sincere grins, and quickly brought his eyes back up front when we all heard footsteps on the stairs.

It was Fugaku, and in his arms was a squealing black haired baby boy. Sasuke Uchiha.

Itachi and I sat back while everyone rushed the Head of the clan. All the women saying how handsome he would be some day. The men congratulating Fugaku on the birth of another strong son. I caught Fugaku muttering to one of the Uchiha matrons; the birth hadn't been easy on Mikoto, she'd lost a lot of blood and had fallen unconscious. Apparently my mother was taking care of her as best she could, but no one was to see her for some time until the medic-nin arrived from the village proper. It was a relief that Sasuke was unharmed though, apparently Itachi's birth had been similar, a real touch and go situation. But I'd never had any real fear; I knew Mikoto and Sasuke would be fine for several years to come.

Soon, it was our turn to stand. Shisui went first, being older and taller. Fugaku warned him to be gentle as Sasuke was passed into his arms. The older man quickly instructed the boy on how to hold him, and Shisui soon had Sasuke situated against his chest so the slumbering baby looked content as could be.

"You want to look at him, Itachi?" Shisui said, his eyes never leaving Sasuke's little face, "He looks like your mom, already." Itachi and I stood on our toes as Shisui leaned down, letting us get a better look at the baby.

He did look just like Mikoto. His face was all red, and puckered and he didn't have much hair yet besides some black fuzz on the top of his head. But he was cute already. I stared down at him in wonder. And for the first time it really hit me; these weren't just characters from a story anymore. I glanced over at Itachi, his eyes wide and fascinated at the little bundle. These were people. Real, living, breathing people standing all around me.

People who wouldn't be here in just a few short years if I didn't do something.

"Alright, your mother should still be sleeping, and Sasuke needs to rest as well." Fugaku took his son back into his arms and turned towards the stairs, "I'll call for the midwife if we need anything. Thank you all for coming." He walked away, staring lovingly down at the boy in his arms, though, almost as an afterthought he addressed Itachi, "Let your mother recover, and tonight you can go see her and the baby." Itachi nodded, clearly displeased but unwilling to go against his father's wishes. His eyes followed the bundle in Fugaku's arms until they turned the corner of the stairway.

Itachi, Shisui and I stood there in silence for a while. We watched the clansmen and women gather up their things and their children, chatting and gossiping on the way out. A few congratulated Itachi as they left, but none spared a glance for Shisui and I. Those who didn't live in the compound or were lacking impressive pedigrees usually didn't get much attention in the Main House. But neither of us minded too much, Shisui was too focused on his studies, anyway. He figured he was rather close to unlocking the Sharingan, though he hadn't told anyone but Itachi and I. At nearly nine, it was impressive. Though I worried about how long it'd be till he caught Danzō Shimura's attention.

I pulled at my shirt after a minute, it was still so hot in the living room, even when people were beginning to clear out,"Let's go play." I said, turning to the two boys. Shisui's brows furrowed and he sighed,

"I would, but there is a taijutsu test at the Academy tomorrow. I really need to get some training in."

Itachi's eyes lit up, "Can we watch you train, Shisui?" He looked like he'd start bouncing up and down soon at the idea.

I felt very childish, and it seemed my mind became muddled for a moment as little kid emotions took hold. I took a deep breath, then puffed up my cheeks till my eyes watered, "Itachi-kun! I want to go play! You said you'd take me to the sunflower fields today, you promised!"

Like a switch going off in his head, Itachi rounded on me, eyes wide, "Ah! That's right, Mayu-chan." He turned back to Shisui, "Sorry, Shisui, maybe some other time." I was surprised for a moment, I really thought Itachi would put up more of a fight. But he seemed more likely to apologize for his inconsideration than to be disappointed about missing out on Shisui's training.

Shisui smiled, he actually seemed relieved to work without an audience. He went to the door and waved as he hopped out onto the porch, "See you two later! Be careful in the fields all alone."

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><p>Summer turned to autumn in the blink of an eye. Those hot days were days I came to cherish. Itachi and I spent nearly every moment together. We would walk in the woods around the village, play up in the trees, and explore all there was to be explored. We talked about everything. About the Moon Kingdom, about the Hokage, about flowers, anything that came to mind. When we weren't out exploring, we would sit with Sasuke and giggle when he would wrap his tiny fingers around ours.<p>

Itachi was clearly enthralled with the boy, but I kept him busy enough that it didn't seem to head towards the obsessive love he exhibited through the story. We spent plenty of time with the baby, but I made sure that passionate Uchiha nature of his was spread out evenly.

This didn't escape notice, however. That a four year old, who until recently seemed to lack the ability to speak and walk was now running all over Konoha with Itachi in tow, wrapped around her little finger. I assumed the clan leaders didn't like that; the Uchiha blood ran through my veins in little more than a trickle, and we didn't even live in the compound with everyone else. But Mikoto and Fugaku didn't seem to mind. They had their eyes on other problems, it seemed.

It was early October when whispers started to spread that the Hokage's wife was soon to give birth, despite the effort to keep the whole affair a secret. Everyone knew she was the jinjuriki of the nine tailed fox, the most vicious and dangerous of the tailed beasts. I knew what was coming. And it must have showed.

On beautiful fall afternoon, and I was sitting on the back deck of the Main House, staring out into the maze of gardens. A book lay next to me, forgotten. I'd read it already. Since gaining control of my body, I'd been making leaps and bounds that seemed to shock and awe my parents and the Uchiha elders at the same time. I could already read and write at the level of a second year academy student, even though Itachi had only been teaching me for a few months now. His days were spent at school now, which left me quite lonely. I would wait at his house, like today, and try to feel my chakra. If I could get just a hint of it, to catch up with him, I might be able to make it to his class so we could be together again.

Recently, I'd been getting more jumpy. The more my mind became my own, the more I realized how alien this world was. It was so different from my past life, and I felt very alone without my old family and friends. At four years old I was isolated from those whose intellect I'd be on par with, and those who I was supposed to age with. Itachi was about the only friend I had- excluding Shisui, who was becoming more and more mired in his training- as I didn't want to bother with other children my age.

But the days were sluggish now, no longer could months pass at a time in a childish haze. Now, I was dreading Kushina Namikaze's due date. Because that would be the night that Obito Uchiha, in the guise of Madara, would attack the village, kill the Hokage, and doom Naruto Uzumaki to his life as a Jinjuriki. And there was nothing I could do about it! I clenched my fist and ground my teeth. As lucky as I felt to be born close to the Uchiha, to prevent at least one tragedy; I still felt terribly useless. I couldn't even remember Naruto's birth date.

The wind rustled through the towering trees above. It felt ominous, even though I knew it was just my paranoia manifesting itself. I could never get used to how big the trees around here were. Village Hidden in the Leaves was an appropriate title; these trees made redwoods look tiny. They were evergreens too, so even though the weather was finally starting to cool, it still looked like high summer in Konohagakure.

"Mayu-chan." A hand came down on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Itachi, with that gentle smile of his. He set down his backpack close by, and plopped next to me on the deck. I smiled at him, then looked back out at the gardens.

He could tell something was wrong, he always could. But there was only silence between us. I watched his feet dangle off the edge of the deck, almost brushing against the soft garden grass. He seemed distracted today, almost as much as me. My brows furrowed and I opened my mouth to speak.

"I lost my first fight today." He said the words before I'd even taken a breath. I looked over at him with wide eyes, and saw that he did indeed have a bruise blossoming over his right cheek. How it'd escaped my attention, I wasn't sure. After a moment, he continued, "I just…I couldn't hit him. He was so much smaller than me, I didn't want to hurt him." He looked pained, and put his fingers on his cheek, "I don't think he felt the same way."

I tried not to smile, that peaceful nature was exactly what I wanted to see. Instead I got to my feet and carefully stepped between his legs, so his head was level with my chest. I tilted his face up with my fingers barely brushing his chin. My other hand threaded through his soft hair, and he looked up at me with widening eyes, "You won. In your own way." I said quietly, "It's just not the Shinobi way. And there's nothing wrong with that."

He watched me for a second more, before his little face screwed up, and reddened. Tears budded at the corners of his eyes and he suddenly grabbed me, burying his face in my shoulder, "What am I going to do? Father expects so much more from me! From an Uchiha!" He spoke quietly, but passionately, "When he see's my grade, he'll be so angry. He'll make me train for longer hours, I won't get to see you!" He was working himself into a panic now, and he started to cry in earnest, with the big, fat tears of a child, "Mayu-chan…" He drew my name out into a long, hiccuping sob.

I pulled his face from my shirt and smiled down at him, "Come on. Let's go."

He was confused as I pulled him to his feet, but nonetheless tried to calm his breathing and his tears as I grasped his hand tightly, and led him into the gardens. We ran.

We ran through the maze of flowers and bubbling fountains as the sun began to slip below the horizon. Our feet hit wood again as we snuck through the temple room, the sweet perfumes of incense swirling around us. Soon, I pushed open the door in the back of the temple that led out into a narrow little alley way. We ran along the cobblestone, walls of stone on either side of us. Up several steps of stairs we went, threading our way behind houses and through crowded compound streets. Itachi never asked where we were going, just followed along.

When we got to the wall separating the compound from the outside, the sun was almost fully set.

"It's getting dark, Mayu-chan…" Itachi said quietly, glancing around and likely worried someone would spot us.

"We're almost there." I said quickly. I pulled him along to the steps that led up the giant outer wall. We got higher and higher, and the lack of railings nearly made me sick, but I kept on going, having to let go of his hand as the steps began to narrow. Soon, we made it to the first landing, a railed off observation area about half way up the wall.

The moon was shining brightly now, just over the heads of the four Hokage. The village was bathed in silver light, little dots of yellow lighting up windows like a gathering of fireflies. The wind whipped around us at this great height, blowing my shirt all around and rustling the netting underneath. It felt pure, and empty.

I looked out on the village in wonder, marveling at the little plumes of smoke that puffed up from the houses, and the masses of people shifting through the streets. Even the occasional shinobi that flitted from roof to roof, like ghosts. Itachi seemed to share the sentiment, looking out at the village with fresh tears running down his cheeks. He reached out and put an arm around my shoulders, drawing me into his chest and setting his chin on my head.

"Thank you for bringing me here." He said in a voice that barely rose above a whisper. His eyes were calm now, looking over the village, "I'll do better in school..This is my home. And I have to be able to protect it." He looked down a bit, "And you, Mayu-chan." He gave me a watery smile, and I returned it, looking out at the city, and feeling warm despite the biting wind.

We stood like that a while longer, looking out over the city, before it occurred to us that our parents were probably worried sick. Just as we were about to go, I felt a sudden charge in the air.

I knew Itachi had felt it too, by the way he tensed up, "What was-" he didn't get the chance to finish his sentence.

A ripple of power swept through the air, it soaked through into my bones and I felt electrified with a tingle that ran through from my fingertips to my toes. I saw it pass over the whole of Konoha, cutting through the smoke and sending some of the lights into flickering spasms. It was only a second later that the wave of power twisted round, and crashed back into a single point just beyond Hokage mountain.

And then, the world exploded.

The light was so blindingly bright that when Itachi and I were thrown back into the wall, I couldn't tell if we were close to the edge or not. I just held onto him for dear life as we both screamed. But our voices were soon drowned out by a deafening roar that filled the air with dripping malice.

When our sight slowly returned, we saw what had happened.

On the far side of the village, beginning to rampage through the north neighborhoods and compounds, was the nine tailed demon fox.

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><p><strong>Oh dang, here we go. It's action time.<strong>

**Let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yesssssss, finally some action! I _love_ writing action. And while this isn't an epic fight scene, it'll do till Mayu get's old enough to kick some ass. **

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

**-Ms.P**

**Music for your reading:**

_Really Slow Motion - Aeorien_

_Ivan Torrent - Dandelion_

_Epic Score - Malukah_

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><p>Fear raced through my veins. So much that I felt it'd replaced my blood, and every beat of my heart was made from terror.<p>

The fox was bigger than anything I'd ever seen, and there was no way the manga did it justice. The two dimensional image I'd had in my head for the thing was almost laughable now, that I saw it in the flesh. It was monstrous, bigger than even the tallest trees, and dwarfing the Hokage Mountain itself. Each roar that ripped from it's snapping jaws echoed across the land for miles, drowning out the screams of those it trampled over.

One swing of those terrible tails toppled buildings, a step forward ripped up streets, the thing was tearing the village apart in a matter of minutes.

Itachi and I stood there, watching in frozen horror for almost a minute. I couldn't stop thinking of what might have happened if I'd chosen another spot on the wall to go up, only a quarter mile north. Even on the opposite side of the village from the thing, I still felt like it was looking right at me, and the next gathering of black energy at its maw would be aimed over here. But so far it seemed fairly intent on wrecking all the official buildings and manors up on the north side of the village, and the south was miraculously untouched. But if it was left to rampage unchecked for much longer, the village would be in complete ruin.

"What do we do?" Itachi choked out. We were still sitting, shoved up against the wall with our backs screaming in pain from the contact with the solid rock when we'd been blown into it. I looked over to him and saw the terror I felt mirrored there. We were clutching each other so tightly I thought my hands would bleed, but I couldn't move, I couldn't let go of him.

My head was screaming at me to get up, to run. Staying out in the open like that would be a death sentence for sure, even though I knew that Obito Uchiha would likely overlook any that shared his blood. That didn't mean we wouldn't be perfect collateral damage though, sitting up here on the wall with a target painted on us, like we were.

"We... we need to run!" I said, my voice hoarse with fear. Where we would run to, I had no idea. No where in the village was safe right now, but if I remembered correctly, the Hokage would show up soon and lead the fox off into the woods and away from the civilians. But there was no way to tell how long that would take.

"Run where?!" Itachi said, looking at me with huge eyes, "That thing is gonna destroy everything-Oh no!" He jumped to his feet suddenly, dragging me up with him, "Sasuke! It's gonna get Sasuke!" He was nearly screeching now, "We have to go get him! We can't leave him there!"

I grabbed his shirt as he tried to start running, "Itachi! Sasuke is with your mom, at least. The monster is on the other side of town. We have to get down from here without breaking our necks so just…" I took a shuddering breath, not feeling nearly as level headed as I was preaching, "just...calm down."

His chest rose and fell in great heaves as his eyes raced around. But steadily, he seemed to get his bearings. And sure that we could get down the treacherous steps without tripping over ourselves in fear, I started going down first, knowing that if I stumbled, he would be able to catch me.

We weren't even half way down when the fox shot off a particularly violent blast of energy. Like I'd feared earlier, it flew across the whole of the village and slammed into the main gates about a half mile away from us. It sent a great tremor through the entire wall, and huge fractures began to run down the length of the wall next to us. Little cracks even ran over the stone where my hand lay for support.

Then, with a great shuddering groan, the rock began to crumble, starting at the ruined gate, and then shattering in a great avalanche. I saw it racing towards us, and could only gape in horror. Itachi grabbed me from behind and held me close, the both of us screaming bloody murder as the rocks began to descend around us.

No. Not like this. I was only four years old. I hadn't done anything yet! I hadn't saved anyone! There was so much left for me to do, to see, to accomplish! It couldn't end like this!

My heart beat like a thundering drum as the rocks fell towards us, and time seemed to slow. A particularly large chunk of the wall broke off behind us, taking the stairs we happened to be standing on along with it. It ejected us out into open air, with the ground so far beneath us that the people running through the streets looked like ants.

It was almost like skydiving, being able to see the whole world rushing by as you fell. I saw the fox tearing through ranks of Shinobi, flashes of fire, and lightning from those brave souls that it snapped up one by one. Buildings were bursting into flame and collapsing on one another. It was absolute chaos, and it was taking its time.

Our screams were drowned out by the thunderous crash of the stone around us, and all we could do was await our fate. Itachi and I held onto each other so tightly that I doubted we'd even separate once we hit the ground. They'd have to pry our corpses apart. How poetic.

My breaths began to grow ragged and my screams reached a fever pitch, all of it building up to a white hot release. Something inside me _burst_.

It was like falling into a pool of water. Exactly like it. The world around us suddenly vanished in midair. The rocks flashed by us as our backs hit the water. We were sucked in immediately, and I could feel the fluid flood into my open mouth. The world around us went dark, like a lake at night, and my ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton. Only bubbles left my mouth and nose now, instead of screams. I looked around in shock, still clutched tightly to Itachi's chest, who seemed just as bewildered by our abrupt change of scenery.

Then, I recognized it; It was the same place from before. When I died.

The galaxy bloomed around us, stars blindingly bright in every direction. The miasma of the universe enveloped us like water as we fell through it. The point of entrance where I could still see the glow of the moon from Konoha, became nothing more than a dot behind us.

But the farther we sank, the more drained I felt. Like some energy reserve inside me was being sucked away with each passing second. I couldn't hold my breath any longer, and I could see Itachi's face reddening in the effort. So, we almost died from getting blasted off a crumbling wall and smashed to bits, and now we were going to drown in what, the ocean of the universe?

Then, Itachi's eyes lit up. He let go of me with one hand to point. I looked desperately as my vision started to darken. It was another portal, and I couldn't see what was beyond it, as it looked like the top of water viewed from a great depth, all shifting colors and reflected light. But we were rocketing towards it with a speed I didn't realize we had from floating along for such a long time.

In the end, not more than five seconds had passed by the time we came tumbling out of the second portal. We landed hard on a rooftop only two houses away from the still crumbling wall, and immediately started rolling down the steep slope. We were both slick with water, and Itachi lost his hold on me.

"Mayu!" He screamed, his voice cracked, and so did his wrist when he stretched his hand out to me mid roll. He howled in pain but tried to control his fall towards me as the edge of the roof rapidly approached. I couldn't even work up the energy to be frightened, the trip through the portals seemed to have leached the life from me, and I saw dark stars all around, threatening to consume me.

Somehow, Itachi grabbed my hand just before we went careening over the edge. He used his other hand to reach into his hip pack and grab a kunai. With a feral scream he drove it into the slatted rooftop with all the strength he could muster. It skidded along the stone plates for a moment until it finally found purchase in a slit between them. It was his bad hand clutching the hilt of the knife and I faintly heard more cracking as he was jerked to a stop. His other hand held tightly to mine as I tipped over the edge, a fifty foot drop at the least below me.

How he managed to hold onto the kunai at all, I will never know. But his slippery grip didn't last more than a few seconds as our combined weight sent lances of pain through his broken wrist. Sobs ripped from his chest as the agony became too much and his fingers slipped from the handle. All the while, he still held onto me as we both went tumbling over the edge of the roof.

We fell for a few feet before my leg hit a protruding balcony just hard enough to snap the bone, young and flexible as it was. The searing pain was almost enough to keep me conscious, but I couldn't manage a sound, as breathing was too difficult through this blasted lethargy. The balcony drove us off course and we smashed into the gutter along the side of the building, which Itachi desperately tried to grab on to, but only managed to slash open his hand in several places. He screamed as the ground raced up to meet us, and in a last ditch effort, grabbed me tight and pushed off the wall behind him, using all the strength he had to send us flying across the street. We slammed into the wall of the convenience store and kept falling until, miraculously I felt the give of woven material under me.

The merchant's canvas didn't last long with the velocity of our fall, and we ripped through it to smash into the ground in a second. But it slowed us just enough that the impact didn't kill us; I hoped.

We landed on crates of what might have been fruit by the smell. The wood was less forgiving than the canvas, and I felt several ribs break when we made contact. Itachi gasped in pain as his collision knocked the breath from him. We finally came to a stop when we rolled off the boxes, and landed on the stone floor.

There was no moment of silence once we landed. The world was still in chaos all around us. To the point that two children tumbling through the air wouldn't warrant attention. People screamed, running through the streets as buildings fell around them. Through the blackness that was steadily consuming me, I could hear faint shouted orders from Shinobi trying to guide civilians out of the village. Mothers were yelling for their children, who were crying and wailing over the explosions. All the while the roars of the demon fox could be heard echoing around. The thing was far from done it seemed.

"M…...Ma….yu….." Bloodied, broken fingers touched mine. I could barely feel them through the fog descending over my mind. I managed to turn my head to see Itachi, laying on his back a few feet away from me. Tears were running down his dirty cheeks and one of his arms was bent at an unnatural angle.

His eyes were red, with a solid black line around the pupil.

I struggled, latching onto those eyes, keeping contact with them. The red was bright, standing out in the darkness, and it kept me in place. Slowly, I began to regain my bearings.

We must have laid there all night, battling to stay awake and out of sight. Some time later- hours it seemed- the Hokage must have led the beast away, or defeated it, because all that was left were rumbles in the distance. Of course, the action was far from over. The village still burned, the smell of smoke and death hung heavy in the air.

Itachi and I were forgotten, or hidden. The merchant's stall we'd fallen into became partially buried in rock some time in the night, the light from outside was blocked off by rubble, though the moonlight still poured in through the hole in the red canvas above us.

Eventually, the screams died down, as people either had abandoned this part of the village, or they were dead. Either way, no one was coming to help us. I craned my neck to look at Itachi, who was trying without success to sit up. It must have been causing him a fair amount of pain, because tears were still dripping down his cheeks, and he let out periodic hisses and grunts as he tried to push himself up, one handed.

His eyes had long since faded back to black, and I didn't mention the red, either. Early awakening of the Sharingan meant the clan elders would snap him up in an instant and watch his every move, proclaiming him a prodigy; and he knew it. Neither of us would breath a word until we knew we were completely alone.

"Can you...move?" He rasped out. His voice was gritty from all the smoke in the air, and hoarse from the screaming.

I tried twitching my fingers, and was pleased to do that much. My ribs were screaming at me, and so was my left leg. But I didn't have a broken arm like him, so I figured my chances of sitting up were a little higher.

"I think so...ugh.." I whimpered at the pain in my leg and ribs when I started moving, but soon became numb to it as I passed some mental threshold, one that a four year old probably wasn't supposed to handle without passing out. But eventually, I was propped up against the crate behind me, staring over at him as he struggled, "Give me a sec...I'll try and get over to you." With that, I started scooting along the wood, wincing with every movement that sent a fresh wave of pain rolling through me. The lethargy was still there in force, as well. I'd concluded by this point that it was my Chakra, completely used up. Which with everything I read meant I'd come very close to death indeed. But I'd have to think about that later.

I managed to shuffle all the way over to him, "I'm gonna grab onto your bad arm, so use your good one to push yourself up when I pull." He grimaced when my fingers latched onto his forearm, quite close to the black, swollen lump that was his wrist. His other hand was sliced open well into the meat, but he seemed to be ignoring it as he pushed. I pulled, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes at the agony pulsing through my leg, but I knew we had to try something. We couldn't just sit here and wait for the cleanup crews to come through. That could take days, at the least. And with that gash on his hand, and who knows what kind of internal bleeding, Itachi needed a medic _soon_.

So it was with great relief that we heard faint voices coming our way.

"...think I felt something this way. It's weak...I think there are two people trapped under that pile of rocks to your left, Guy…"

Immediately, we heard a rumbling, and the whole ramshackle stand around us began to heave and shake. Rocks were being flung off it like they were nothing more than playthings.

"Yes! I feel it too, Kakashi, I think its a couple of _kids_!"

"Well don't stand there telling me about it," The other voice snapped back, impatience bordering on anger colored his tone, "get them out!"

"Just," a grunt as the last rock was lifted up, "a day at the gym. I could do this for hours."

"It'll take hours if you keep running your mouth."

The last rock moved out of the way, and moonlight burst through the hole it left. Itachi and I had to blink rapidly to clear our vision. We started coughing and hacking immediately as the smoke flooded out of our tomb, and clean air flooded our lungs. Two sets of hurried footsteps approached, and I saw the green flack jackets of Shinobi through bleary eyes.

Itachi and I were propped up next to each other against the crates. I had a thin trickle of blood coming from the corner of my mouth, we were both covered in bruises, our limbs were twisted, and I imagined we both started sobbing irrationally when the nin stooped down in front of us to assess the damage.

"...How...are these kids even alive.." A boy with hair of silver, and an eye that glowed red in the shadow he cast leaned over me, checking my vital signs.

The second one swam out of my field of sight, fading back into the murky background. He was yelling for a medic nin. I turned my head fractionally to look at Itachi, and he gave me the weakest of smiles, his swollen, bleeding hand reaching out to wrap a few fingers around mine.

How indeed?

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><p><strong>Ouch.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five! Read and Enjoy.**

**And please, let me know what you think!**

**-Ms.P**

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><p>It was raining, harder than usual. The sky outside was a murky grey, so dark that the street lights had turned on in the morning.<p>

Mom flitted around the kitchen, tugging on a heel and buttering toast at the same time. She cursed, stumbling into the counter. After a moment of muffled cussing, she whipped around to me.

I sat at the counter, fingers tapping away on my phone, doing my best to seem inconspicuous. But her makeup caked eyes narrowed anyways. She threw the toast down onto the counter and waved a hand at me,

"You know, you could be helping me get ready. If my breakfast had been done when I got out here, I'd be on my way to work by now."

I snorted, eyes never lifting from the screen, "It's _your _breakfast. Not sure why you feel the need to hold me accountable for your shitty concept of time."

She sneered, "Oh that's cute." She turned back around, pouring orange juice into a travel cup and muttering under her breath. I never understood why she bothered muttering; I was right there, it's not like I wouldn't hear her. It's not like she didn't want me to.

"You're about as useful as your worthless father." She hissed, shoving her breakfast into a bag and rounding on me again, "With less respect!"

I didn't bother to raise an eyebrow, "Let me know when someone worth respecting passes through. I'll be sure to step up my game."

There was silence, and then a low growl of thunder rolled through. Her painted nails tapped the counter arythmically. It drove me crazy, but I didn't let it show. Finally, she grabbed her purse, slung it over her shoulder and went to the front door. She wrenched it open and spared me a last glare,

"You'll never amount to anything, you know that? You'll always be there, sitting with that fucking phone, and wasting all your opportunities."

My fingers paused, hovering above the screen, and too much time passed for my response to be as biting as I would have liked, "As opposed to the award winning drama your life turned out to be."

She smirked, knowing she'd won, and stepped out into the rain.

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><p>"Mayu...Mayu my sweet baby please wake up...please. Mama loves you so much...she just needs you to open your eyes...please, mama just want's to see those beautiful eyes of yours...Oh my little girl...oh…" A voice like music pierced through the black. I felt a warm, wetness dripping onto my arm, while two hands, soft and smooth grasped mine. The steady chime of machinery filled the background, with the pitter patter of rain.<p>

For a moment, I thought I was back in the hospital, doctors telling me that my heart was giving out. That my boyfriend was standing near by, breaking down into tears, my mother with an expression of horror washing out her fake tan.

But when I finally managed to open my eyes, I saw a woman who looked like she'd been through hell. Her silky black hair was tied up in a messy bun, with strands falling around her face. Soft brown eyes were ringed with grey from lack of sleep, and a few more worry lines were slashed between her brows. The way she held my hand though, it filled me with such warmth.

"Mama…" I croaked, my throat feeling like it'd been dragged through a desert.

She jumped in her seat, eyes locking onto mine. Letting out a little cry, my mother let go of my hand, only for a moment, so she could gently pull me into her arms. She smelled like gardenias.

"Mayu! Mayu, Mayu, Mayu.." she chanted, sobs wracking her chest. She managed to hug me so securely, without hurting me, it was amazing and I was sure no one else in the world could do it.

I looked over her shoulder while she held me. I _was _in a hospital. But the walls weren't that awful steel white, and the lights didn't turn everything grey. No, the room was made of a creamy colored stone, and the light was from an orange tinted paper lantern hanging from the ceiling with a fluorescent bulb inside. There was a curtain to my left, separating the other bed from view. And past that was a door.

"My baby girl! I was so worried, when you weren't at the Uchiha estate...I didn't- we had no idea what to think…" She scrambled for words in the flood of her relief. There was a knock at the door that had my mother turning round, she called for them to come in.

The door opened, and a man dressed in a tan tunic stepped into the room. His head-wrap had a red cross on either side of the hidden leaf forehead protector, and he carried a chart with a charcoal pencil tapping at its side.

"Ah, finally some good news." He grinned, stepping over to us as mother sat up, "so many were lost last week; I'm so glad Kobayashi-san wasn't one of them."

Mother dried her eyes on her sleeve for a moment till the medic nin handed her a soft terry cloth. She thanked him and cleaned her face while he walked over to the right side of my bed, and opened the curtains on the window.

The village was in absolute ruin. It looked like much of the wreckage had been cleared away, but that only helped the view of what had been lost. Whole blocks had been blown away, buildings leveled and streets torn up so the soil and pipes underneath were visible. The outer wall of the village was littered with massive holes, and in the far distance I could see construction teams crawling over them like ants. Not many were working on the skeletons of buildings I could see rising out of the rubble, the rain kept them inside it seemed. The streets were barren like I'd never seen them. Even on rainy days, the little roads were always full to bursting with people, skittering about under overhangs and umbrellas.

I felt guilty, and angry. I knew this was coming. And still, I just let it happen. I wracked my brain for something I could've done to prevent it, but when I looked down at my broken little body, I could only see something holding me back. Preventing me from doing what I was obviously brought here to do.

The medic had been speaking for a few moments now, and I had to rouse myself into listening from my self deprecating stupor.

"...broken, I'm afraid. But Kobayashi-san heals remarkably fast, and our field medics were able to repair most of the major damage. She should be up and about in a little over a month," He smiled down at me, "depending on if she's a good girl and doesn't move around too much when she's not supposed to." He sighed, flipping through the charts, his good humor fading, "There were fractures along three ribs, and a hairline crack on the back of her skull. We've healed them, yes, but I would suggest a few weeks of pain killers to dull any lingering aches that might go along with them. Other than that, it's superficial wounds that should heal in a week's time." He looked up from the chart, his brows furrowing, "You made out much better than your friend over there, I'm afraid."

My head snapped to the left so fast I became dizzy. Itachi! I'd almost forgotten about him!

"Itachi-kun?" I rasped, my eyes racing from the doctor to the curtain and back, "What's wrong with him? What happened?"

The medic held up placating hands, "Relax, relax. I didn't mean to scare you, Kobayashi-san. He simply has a blood infection that our nurses didn't catch early enough. So he will be here a few days longer. But don't worry, he'll be good as new in no time."

It must've been that rusty gutter he tried to grab when we were falling from the roof. I knew there would be complications; you don't get a cut like that and walk away without something going wrong.

"Can I see him?" I strained in the bed, as if I could see past the curtain if I looked hard enough.

"Sure. He's sleeping now, though." The doctor went over and pushed the curtain back.

Itachi looked bad. His skin was covered in a sheen of sweat, and paler than usual. He had dark, sunken circles beneath his closed eyes, and a bandaged forearm in a sling across his chest. He looked very sick indeed, hooked up to a bunch of machines like he was. But I had to remind myself, this was the Land of Fire, not my world. They had medicine here, and healing that far outclassed my past life. An infection like that wouldn't be a problem with several healing sessions.

"He will be okay, Mayu." Mother said quietly, once the doctor had left the room, "But you need to tell me what happened. Neither of you were conscious by time the field medic got to you. The two jounin that found you said that you couldn't tell them anything either." She grasped my hand, "How did you two get that far away from the Uchiha compound? I thought you were staying over at the Main House for dinner."

I gathered my thoughts, trying to recall what exactly had happened. I remembered Itachi coming home from school. He was upset, he hadn't been able to hit some boy at school. I thought taking him to a lookout point along the wall would help him calm down. The view up there...it was fantastic, and it always made me feel better...But the fox. I shuddered. The nine tailed fox had attacked and...Ghosts of explosions sounded through my memories, I saw the wall falling apart...we were launched out into the open air and…

"I don't know." I said simply. I really didn't. Now that I thought about it, that strange portal we went through had to be some kind of jutsu; but the fact that it was the same place I ended up just before coming into this world couldn't be a coincidence. My thoughts were brought to the Mangekyou Sharingan dimensional jutsu, but I knew for a fact that I did not possess any eye techniques, I would have felt it, or bled, or something. Maybe it was something else...I wasn't sure. And I knew speaking to anyone but Itachi about it would only attract the attention of the shadowy forces in Konoha. I wanted to protect Itachi from them as much as I needed to protect myself.

"We were playing around in the market, outside the compound," I lied, looking up at her with big, innocent eyes, "And when the fox attacked we ran into a stall nearby. But there were loud noises, and fires everywhere...it's all so blurry Mama…"

She brought a hand up and pushed some of my curly hair from my eyes, "It's okay sweetie. That was a bad time, and I'm just so glad you're safe…" She stood from her chair, "I'm going to go send a message to your Daddy, he's working to help rebuild the village. But I have to let him know you're okay." She smiled, and leaned over to press a kiss to the top of my head, "I'll be back in just a little while, you get some rest."

After mother left the room, my eyes turned back to Itachi, who was in much the same position, and didn't look to be waking any time soon. I felt awful; if only I'd known the attack would be that night...If only I'd remembered the exact date of Naruto's birth! Itachi could be sitting safe at home with Sasuke in his arms, watching and waiting for his father to come home from the fighting. But no, instead he almost died because of me, and I'd officially messed up his timeline. Even though that was my goal in the first place, I had no idea what _this _change would do. He'd awakened his sharingan! Even in the manga, that didn't happen till he was eight- which was still freakishly early to unlock something that powerful.

But I remembered reading that the sharingan awoke in great times of stress and peril for an Uchiha. I suppose that falling to your death was just about as stressful as it got. But the kid wasn't even a genin yet! He didn't have the chakra control to walk up walls much less use something of that caliber.

Part of me wanted to tell the elders, because there was no way to know what would happen with this premature awakening, and they might be able to help. But I knew what would happen if I did; he'd be dragged into his father's inner circle, forced to become a spy for the Uchiha, become a double agent for the Hokage, and eventually end up wiping out all his friends and family.

So no, that wasn't going to happen...we would just figure it out on our own. Somehow.

"You saved me."

When Itachi's eyes opened, and they met mine, those were the first words from his mouth.

I blinked a few times, curled up in bed next to him where my mother had left me. The wheelchair next to the bed was left for when the nurse came back in to separate us at bed time. But up till that point I'd been snuggled close, snoozing along to the beep of the machines. My bulky cast got in the way sometimes, but I was comfortable enough; it was better than laying all alone.

his words were almost funny, and if I didn't feel so guilty about the whole situation, I might have laughed.

"Saved _you_?" I said incredulously, looking at his cast, and sickly features, "You're the one that kept me from falling off that roof."

"And we would have hit the ground a lot sooner if you didn't," he paused, his brows furrowing, "do whatever that was." Those big brown eyes turned up to me in confusion, "Mayu...I..my eyes…"

Immediately I shushed him, putting a finger on his lips, "No. We don't talk about that till it's just you and me." He seemed to understand, quieting and bringing up his bandaged hand to hold mine, "We're...alive." He smiled, weakly, "I don't know how...but we are alive. And whatever you did, it saved us. Thank you, Mayu-chan."

I shook my head, sighing and laying back down next to him, my head on the pillow next to his, "Just Mayu...silly."

Amazingly, his cheeks reddened, even under their sickly pallor. But soon, he broke into a tired grin and he nodded, "Mayu."

We laid in silence for a time, then he glanced out the window. His eyes were riveted on the recovering village for some time, and he wasn't able to speak. When he did, his voice was shaking, "How long was I out?"

"I woke up yesterday," I said softly, following his gaze out the constant construction where the streets were once again filled with people, buzzing around in swarms to fix one block at a time, "And Mama said I'd been asleep for nearly four days."

"So five days." He whispered, looking out on the destruction, "That thing blew up the village," He looked back at me, his eyes wide, "Mother, Father, Sasuke? What about them, do you know anything?"

"Mama said they were fine last she saw them," I said quickly, "Mikoto-sama stayed at home with Sasuke-kun. Your dad was on the front lines," I could practically see his heart contract, and I continued hurriedly, "But he is fine, his sharingan kept him safe, for the most part; no one came out without some bruises."

And that's when I remembered; the village was going to blame the Uchiha for the attack. My eyes widened and I had to work hard to keep my expression neutral, while Itachi started to say something.

_Oh no_; the Uchiha's eye techniques were the only thing that could control a tailed beast like that, so the village elders blamed them, forcing anyone with Uchiha blood into the compound, sectioning them off, placing heavy surveillance around the place. And that's what would ignite their anger, force them into the coup. Force Itachi to kill them.

I felt like crying; what could I do? The whole village would turn against the Uchiha, they would feel oppressed, and angry. I knew I had nearly a decade until that night, but it didn't feel like nearly enough time. No matter how much I trained, I'd never catch up with Itachi, especially not now that he'd unlocked his sharingan even _earlier_. So there was no chance of me stopping him. In the manga, it said he killed everyone except Sasuke, parents, friends, lover...Suddenly becoming so close to him seemed nearly pointless.

But I had to stop myself. I looked over at the worried boy next to me, struggling to stay awake, hurting, and helpless. This wasn't a mass murderer, this wasn't an ANBU spy, and this wasn't a two dimensional drawing. This was my _friend_, and I kept thinking of him as a plot point. That had to stop. I'd find a way to keep him out of Danzo's reach, I'd find a way to keep the Uchiha alive, and I'd find a way to stop the coup.

I just had no idea what that way would be, as of yet.


	6. Chapter 6

**I love this chapter. Personally. Everything just fell into place, and it practically wrote itself. I also got to weave in some more Japanese culture as Mayu notices it more, so that's exciting!**

**I hope you like it, please let me know what you think!**

**-Ms.P**

**(I don't own Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto, all OCs are mine)**

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><p><strong>F.Y.I<strong>

**Kawarimi-replacement jutsu**

**Hanami- flower viewing festival**

**_note about birthdays_- December 13th is Mayu's (she's only a few months younger than Itachi, sorry if that wasn't apparent early on.)**

**_note about ingredients_-**

**Shiozake : salted salmon which is grilled and flaked.**

**Umeboshi: salty pickled plum**

**Katsuobushi: the Japanese name for dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna**

**Kombu no tsukudani - kombu seaweed that's been cooked in a soy sauce based sauce until tender and salty.**

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><p>"Uchiha-san has to stay after school today to take a test. He asked for me to walk you home."<p>

I looked up with raised eyebrows, an older boy was standing next to my bench. He had thick brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a large scar across his nose, under squinted,dark eyes.

"You're Iruka-kun, right?" I tilted my head to the side, shutting my book and tucking it in my satchel, "Itachi-kun told me you were partners through your Kawarimi studies." I smiled at him, though he only frowned in response.

"It'll be "Umino-senpai" to you." He crossed his arms and tapped his foot, "Can we go? I'd like to get home before it's dark."

He was so rude! I felt like sticking my tongue out at him, but my prior experience told me that the poor kid's parents had just died a few months ago. So with nothing more than a grimace, I hopped off the bench and started to gather up my books.

It was spring now, and the cherry blossoms were breath taking. I'd seldom noticed them before, but now with the village in a constant state of reconstruction, the natural beauty seemed to stick out more than ever. They were a symbol of hope, and I saw more than a few people standing below them with clasped hands. The Hanami festival was even put off this year, as the village was still licking its wounds, and couldn't spare the funds or manpower to celebrate. It was upsetting; I'd gone with my family the last two years that I could remember, and desperately wanted to go with Itachi and Shisui this year.

My bench was situated under a little grove of the brightly colored trees, just outside the perimeter of the Academy playground. I claimed the bench after weeks of plopping down on it after school to wait for Itachi's class to let out. Despite the fact that I'd entered the Academy only a few months after him, and would be in the same grade, I'd been stuck in a different class. My father tried to console me, saying we could talk to the coordinator chunin about getting me switched to a group of people I was more familiar with.

Slinging my satchel over my shoulder, I motioned to let Iruka go first. He huffed and shoved his hands in his pockets. I watched his back while he walked, and felt sad for him. His past wasn't all that different from Naruto's. I guess the good thing that would come from this was the bond they'd share because of it.

We made our way through town, and I was glad to have someone with me; a little girl with a peach-and-plum colored dress and ribbons in her hair wasn't exactly a good thing to be alone on the street these days. The shinobi of the village, as well as the Uchiha police force, were trying hard to get the crime rates down, but people were desperate. Homes and livelihoods had been destroyed by the fox attack last October, and those that retained good standing were easy prey for parents that had to feed their children. Or children that had to eat; the orphan population had skyrocketed as well. The Hokage and the council of elders had done a fair job in initiating a "No Child Left Behind" program that aimed to take care of these war children, but some slipped through the cracks, all the same.

Iruka seemed to prefer silence, but it was always interesting to meet yet another familiar face. So I jogged up next to him, my little pink sandals slapping against the ground. He raised an eyebrow when I caught up, and then turned up his nose, and walked faster.

My mouth dropped open as he sped ahead of me again. Why was he being so difficult? I set my jaw, and hurried forward again. And in response, he leapt back in front.

I clenched my fists, 'Alright buddy, you wanna play hardball? I can play.'

"Augh!" I pretended to trip, and fell hard to the ground, my pretty dress getting covered in dirt. Mother wouldn't be too pleased about that, but I never liked pink anyway. She had yet to take me _with _her when she shopped for my clothes.

"What the?" Iruka whipped around, as did many others around us on the street.

"Iruka-kuuuunn…" I started to cry, rather convincingly -being a five year old had _some _advantages, "I tripped, my foot _huuuurts_!"

Iruka's eyes widened, and he looked around at the passing crowds of people. A few older women were shooting him disapproving glances as he hung back from me. And after a moment, the pressure got to him. His jaw visibly ticked, but he came forward to help me stand. With an arm held out, he waited for us to get going again.

"Iruka-kun, I don't think I can walk," I sniffled, "It really, _really _hurts!" Oh I was laying it on thick now, my cheeks were all red and puffy, and tears were dripping down them freely. Iruka looked at me like I'd slapped him, and his cheeks reddened as well as the crowd of people looked at him no less scrupulously.

After a moment, he rubbed his temples and glared down at me, saying with a forced grin, "We are shinobi in training, Kobayashi-san, I'm sure you'll get through it."

Damn.

So we ended up walking just like that, with one of my arms clutching onto his for support. It wasn't quite what I'd hoped for; he was still much taller than me, and could easily avoid eye contact by looking pointedly at other things. But I wasn't giving up.

"So, Iruka-kun," I saw him grit his teeth at the informality, "how long until you graduate the academy?"

He was quiet for a minute, pursing his lips and looking away. But the silence seemed to get the better of him, and he eventually deflated, though his response was directed at the sky, instead of me, "I entered the Academy at the same time as Uchiha-san. It'll be four years, at most."

I raised my eyebrows, "Why'd you enter so late?" It didn't really occur to me that in this world, five wasn't an acceptable time to start your formal education. Thinking about it, I really didn't know much at all about Konoha's educational system. But from what Iruka said, four years, that really didn't seem like enough. Though, if you had a jounin teacher for a good long time before you became a chunin, it made sense that your education would be supplemented there.

Iruka scowled, still avoiding my gaze, and his response was tinged with bitterness, "Not all of us can be Uchiha geniuses. Now stop asking questions; you're annoying."

My brows knit, and I stared back at the ground. What kind of genius did you have to be to start school at the normal time? Sure we had all sorts of ninja curriculum, but for the most part we were learning basic reading, writing, and math. The jutsu work was minimal at best, even with Iruka and Itachi's class, the replacement jutsu _theory _being their only touch on the subject this semester.

It wasn't long till the gates of the Uchiha compound rose up to meet us. I had to hide my grimace at the sight. There was a pair of chunin leaning against either side. The gate guards had shown up about three weeks ago, and Fugaku had blown a fuse. He'd marched right up to them and demanded to know who gave them the orders. They refused to say, which hinted that the mission had come from fairly high up. I had a good idea already of who the culprit might be. And if there were chunin out in the open, there was likely at least one ANBU operative lurking around inside. Though, sneaking around in a compound full of sharingan technicians was probably rather difficult. Unless it _was _a sharingan user. That wasn't a pleasant thought.

"Thank you for walking me here, Umino-senpai." I said solemnly, my good mood was spoiled by the reminder of the future course of events. Iruka noticed and glanced down at me, then back over to the chunin guards.

He was quiet for a moment, then huffed, "You want me to walk you to your house, or…?"

I looked up at him in surprise. He was looking anywhere but me, and his cheeks were colored in embarrassment. It did bring a smile to my face; he was just a big softie in a tough shell.

"Thank you, but I'll be fine. Itachi-kun's home is just down the street." I let go of his arm and tested out my 'sore' foot. After putting on a convincing little show of miraculous healing, I waved and started to walk away, "Hopefully we'll run into each other at school, Umino-senpai!"

He stood there for a moment, blinking, then shoved his hands back in his pockets and turned away without waving, "Yeah, whatever."

I smiled and watched him go for a moment. Then turned back to the gates of the compound. Walking past the guards was always unnerving. One tried to shoot me a smile, and a little wave, but I ignored him, keeping my eyes straight ahead. Whatever they were looking for here, they certainly wouldn't find it for a good long time. I hoped.

The walk to the Main House was easier than the whole of my trip home. As I passed shops and houses, everyone would call out and wave to me. Itachi and I were a bit of a local legend, having survived the nine tails attack outside the compound all on our own.

"Good evening, Mayu-chan," it was old lady Akiko. She was sitting on her front porch, with her fluffy white cat, Poco, perched in her lap, fast asleep, "Where is Itachi-sama? Did you get lost, dear?"

I smiled and shook my head, auburn curls flying about, "He had to stay after at school today. But he had one of his friends walk me here."

Akiko tittered and rocked back in her chair, "Oh what a polite young man. You know, being glued at the hip as you two are, I wouldn't be surprised if your mother tried to arrange a marriage between you two!" She put a hand to her mouth, "Wife of the clan Head, how romantic!"

I blinked a few times, and while my heart started to beat a little faster, I didn't let it show. I was supposed to be a five year old, after all, "Haha, that's silly Akiko-san! I have to go now, Mikoto-sama is expecting me. Have a good evening."

"Yes yes, ah, to have the innocence of a child again..Now run along dear!" Akiko cackled, stroking Poco and smiling to herself. If only she knew.

I walked on, frowning down at the ground. I thought back to the promise Itachi had made to me years ago. We were toddlers then, and hadn't spoken of it since. But I couldn't help wondering if he remembered. I wasn't thinking all that clearly back then, just starting to gain control of this body, and while it'd seemed like a good idea at the time...Ah, who was I kidding, little kids proposed marriage all the time! It wasn't strange. Plus, Akiko was probably crazy, no doubt as soon as a good candidate came around, Itachi would be married off in a heart beat.

And that didn't bother me _one bit_. If I could just keep him from committing genocide, that was good enough for me. He was my closest friend in this world, and his happiness was something I'd come to care about.

Which brought to mind the question, I thought as I stepped up to the looming Main House...what was I going to do with my life?

If I managed to prevent the slaughter of the Uchiha clan, what was there after that? I'd gotten lucky, born with the connection to such an important player in this story. But beyond Itachi Uchiha? There was still Orochimaru, Akatsuki, and Madara Uchiha himself out there, waiting. What could I possibly do about insurmountable obstacles like that? There was no way I could become someone like Naruto, 'overpowered super hero of the world'. If that was even still possible. I'd noticed as the years went by, that this certainly wasn't like the anime; this was real, and people got hurt a _lot _easier than the show. So if that'd changed, and the physical ramifications of all those crazy jutsu mentioned in the story were real, I didn't stand a chance in hell. What was I going to do against a man that _threw up snakes to revive himself_?

"Mayu-chan!" my head snapped up as Mikoto opened the front door. She gave me a tired smile and adjusted the wiggling Sasuke in her arms, "Welcome! Itachi's teacher told me he'd be running late, but I'm so glad you're here." She ushered me in the door and led me to the kitchen. Carefully, Sasuke was set in a high chair, where he started smearing around remnants of an afternoon snack. I gave the baby a wave, and he stared me down with his giant black eyes. We had a little staring contest, then after a while he went back to his food-finger painting.

"I was just starting on some onigiri for when you two got home. I've already made a few with kombu inside, and I thought we could make some for you and Fugaku together, Mayu-chan." She smiled, "Your mama has taught you to make onigiri, right?"

I nodded, stepping up on a stool she pushed my way, to peek into the refrigerator.

"What do you want to put in yours, Mayu-chan?" Mikoto asked, opening up a drawer full of wrapped paper packages fresh from the market, "We have shiozake, katsuoboshi, or maybe some umeboshi?"

I tapped my chin, looking at the choices, "What does Fugaku-sama like? I wanna make sure he's happy too." I noticed Mikoto watching me from the corner of my eye. And I couldn't help thinking of what Akiko had said. I ignored it though, and ran my fingers over the packages.

"Hmm...my husband likes kombu especially, but Itachi always eats all of those before Fugaku even gets home! So," she spread her hands out, "It's up to you! What do you think Fugaku-sama would like?"

I looked back at the ingredients. I could feel it, this was some kind of test; I knew when I was being evaluated. When you are young, grownups aren't very sly about it. They think you won't notice. But I _always _caught them.

If Fugaku liked kombu, then he probably wasn't the biggest fan of meat in his onigiri. Which meant it'd be safer to go with something vegetarian. I really didn't like pickled plum all that much, but I knew Mikoto was waiting for an answer, so I took a breath, and pointed to the middle package, "How about the umeboshi?"

Her face lit up, and I could see that I'd passed. She reached in and grabbed the umeboshi, holding it up with a smile, "That's perfect Mayu-chan. Fugaku loves umeboshi. What a good choice."

She walked back to the other counter where the rice cooker was sitting with the rest of the ingredients. I narrowed my eyes and climbed off the stool, dragging it along with me. Was the rumor that Itachi and I would be married really a thing? Was Mikoto the one spreading it? Did she want that to happen? I mean I knew she and Rina were good friends but...that usually wasn't enough to look past advantageous marriage arrangements.

Shaking my head, I set my stool back up against the counter and grabbed the nearby knife, to start slicing the nori into the right sizes for triangle shaped onigiri. I knew Itachi liked that kind, so Fugaku might too.

"How are you doing in school, Mayu-chan?" Mikoto asked, keeping her eyes on the umeboshi she was preparing.

"Fine." I said slowly, glancing over at her, "I'm passing all my assignments with excellent marks." Probably helped that I had the intelligence of an adult and grasped the subjects outside of jutsu with ease. And even when we started learning ninja curriculum, the theory was fairly straightforward.

"That's good." She said distractedly. After a moment, she frowned a little, "Itachi isn't doing so well."

I just about dropped my knife.

"What?" I tried to keep my voice innocently interested, but my head was spinning; in the manga, Itachi graduated from the academy in a little over a year! He was a genius on par with Orochimaru, "I thought Itachi-kun was very smart."

"He is," Mikoto said firmly, "And all of his written assignments are passed with flying colors. But…" She sighed, "He seems to have trouble with the sparring matches, and performing any ninjutsu beyond the most basic techniques."

I didn't even know Itachi's class was up to sparring, as the fight he'd mentioned those months ago was with a boy who simply didn't like Uchiha. I thought when it came to graded matches, that Itachi would excell, especially after the fox incident. I knew I'd changed something big, I _knew _it!

Trying not to sweat, I carefully cut another sliver of nori, "Maybe he just doesn't like to fight." I said slowly, "Itachi-kun is so gentle, after all."

"Has he said anything to you, Mayu-chan?" Mikoto turned her eyes to me, beginning to chop up the umeboshi.

With her full attention on them, others might have had a hard time fabricating any kind of story. But I'd been lying for years about practically every facet of my existence, so I had no trouble. With big, innocent eyes I shook my head, "No, ma'am. Just something I noticed."

She seemed to accept that, no doubt believing a five year old incapable of believable deceit, "Of course." she continued as if to herself, " I fear we will have to hire a tutor soon...Fugaku expected much more from his eldest son."

There was silence after that. And we prepared the onigiri quickly. Mikoto let me wander out into the gardens afterwards to wait for Itachi. But my mind was elsewhere.

So Itachi wouldn't graduate at the appropriate time. I turned the thought around in my head. Wouldn't that be good? If he didn't graduate so early, he wouldn't make chunin rank for some time, and even then, the ANBU wouldn't be likely to accept him with such average credentials. So...I ran the numbers in my head. He was around thirteen when he wiped out the clan in the manga. If he was five now, and needed four years to get through the academy, assuming his grades stayed the way they were...Yes! There was no way he'd have enough time to get under Danzo's thumb! Especially if I had my way.

Some time later, when I'd camped out by one of the lanterns surrounding the deck, I heard a knock on the wooden door frame behind me. Turning, I saw Itachi there, smiling at me. His school bag was gone, but he still wore his day clothes, that long sleeved black shirt with a high collar, and grey pants tucked into bandages around his shins. His hair had been growing long, almost reaching his shoulders now, and he'd taken to tying it back with a red ribbon I'd let him borrow. The nub of a pony tail was cuter than anything had a right to be.

"Hi." I said, patting the deck next to me.

He came over and sat, looking up at the night sky with placid features. I could tell he'd passed his test by the way he was acting, but I wanted to ask, regardless,

"How'd it go?"

A smile tugged at his lips, and he looked at his feet, "Very well. I did much better with the taijutsu forms when no one was around to watch. Sensei said he was impressed."

I reached over and held his hand, which he seemed to think nothing of, but after the day I'd had, set my heart beating just a little bit faster at the thought of what this would be like in a few years.

"Good job. I knew you could do it." I tossed him a mischievous smile, "You're way better than every kid in that class, and you could kick the snot out of them, if you wanted."

His brows furrowed, and he sighed, "But I _don't _want to," His bottom lip quivered just a bit, and he looked very young, hunched over with troubled thoughts floating around in his head, "it's not my shinobi way." He chanced a look at me.

Thinking back to what Mikoto said, I gave his hand a gentle pat, "That's why I said you _could_, not you _would_. True strength is in knowing _when _to raise your hand, not how high."

The boy blinked a few times, and looked over at me with raised eyebrows, "You sound like an old lady."

I snorted, and looked out at the moonlit garden, "Sometimes I _feel _like an old lady."

"Oh? Should I go get Akiko-san's cat for you?" He smirked and poked my arm.

Laughing, I tackled him back onto the deck, and we engaged in a ferocious battle of tickling, through which Itachi taunted "Poco-chan, Poco-chan!", and soon turned into a tag war. And play like rambunctious children we did, until Mikoto called us in for dinner.

For at least a little while, I felt normal.

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><p><strong>AN: I love them as little kids, they are precious, but good <em>GOD<em> I can't wait for them to grow up. So you'll have to excuse my erratic pacing. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Woah here we go! Plot time, gotta love the plot time. And new characters, all over the place! Mayu's formal Academy days begin!**

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

**-Ms.P**

**(Naruto © Masashi Kisimoto, OCs belong to me)**

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><p>"Don't pull so hard." I complained, tipping my head back yet again.<p>

A firm, but gentle hand pushed my head forward once more, with a little 'tsk', "I have to pull if you want the braids to be tight, Mayu. Though, I am sorry if it hurts."

I pursed my lips, meeting his eyes in the mirror. He gave the tiniest of smirks and pulled playfully on the lock of long, brown hair he was currently twisting through another. I swatted at his hands but he gave me a look that had me settled back down into the vanity seat with a puff of indignant air.

Itachi had been braiding my hair for a long time, so he was a master at this point; much like anything else he tried to do. But today he was particularly intent that the braids be perfect, as it was to be my first day in the same class as him. My father had pushed hard, and though it took two extra semesters, I had gotten my transfer into the upper tier of second year Academy students.

I looked myself over in the mirror, satisfied with my appearance. Mother had begun letting me pick out my own clothes, commenting that I had impeccable taste for a six year old, to which I had to contain the biggest eye roll of the century. So away with the pinks and peaches and purples, and in with the blues and grays. Seeing as it was late December, just after my birthday, and winter break, I'd decided I would wear my new fluffy cerulean scarf Itachi's mother had knit me. It was wrapped up around my neck over a smoky grey pleated tunic with white tights disappearing into winter edition close toed shinobi-sandals.

The way the light played off my hair as Itachi moved it around made me smile. When I was younger it was a cherry blonde, that bloomed to a demure auburn, and now was settling into a lovely chestnut color. Itachi seemed fond of it too, and chastised me every time I wanted to cut it. So, it came down to my butt now, to my great annoyance. In penance for making me keep it so long, I informed him that it was now his job to braid it _every day_ before school so I wouldn't have to deal with it. Little did I know how happy this would make him, and he showed up fifteen minutes early to walk me to school, in order to tame my unruly hair.

Likewise, I would have to redo his ponytail nearly every time as well. He just couldn't be trusted to look after his own appearance. When it was down, that silky Uchiha hair brushed against his shoulders now. It was incredibly soft, and playing with it had become a favorite pastime of mine. I imagined if we sat next to each other, the temptation to reach over and twirl one of the locks would be unbearable.

"So you said there was something you wanted to tell me about?" He said as he began to tie a pretty blue ribbon around the end of the braid.

I shifted uneasily in my seat, and of course he noticed. But he didn't comment, simply finishing the bow and stepping back to admire his work. After a moment I turned from my reflection and hopped off the seat, "How about we talk about it during our training session, this afternoon?"

He raised an eyebrow as he pulled on his heavy winter coat, "You're going to make me wait even longer now? Rude." But he didn't push the issue, just helped me into my jacket as well and slung his bag across a shoulder, picking up my books as well, "Come on, we'll be late if we waste any more time."

After grabbing my lunch bag from mother, we were off and down the street.

It was high winter in Konohagakure, and the village was finally finished rebuilding after a tumultuous and trying year. Everything was covered in powdery snow, almost accentuating the newness of it all. It was humbling to see the village as bright and prosperous as it was, the recovery had done more than restore it to it's former glory; whole new blocks were being built, and the outer wall had even been expanded in a few places.

Craftsmen like my father had benefited especially from this influx of economy. There was seldom a day when a scroll wasn't waiting in our mailbox with new build orders from the Hokage. Under the Reconstruction bill passed last May, the city was blooming with new structures and buildings; parks to build morale, training fields to bolster the depleted shinobi forces, and plenty of community centers for the displaced and orphaned.

Father had since been promoted to Assistant Architectural Advisor. He was working directly under the head Architect himself, Daichi Hashimoto, who we'd had over for dinner several times. His son, Kenji, was a year ahead of us in the Academy and would often take the time to ask about my studies and offer suggestions. He was a nice kid, and the dinner parties were often something I looked forward to. All of this was very exciting for my parents, who would titter on about father's boss for days. I thought it was nice, seeing them smile so much.

Unfortunately, the only ones in the city which seemed to have it worse off by the day were the Uchiha. Their compound was largely ignored in the reconstruction efforts, and though it hadn't been greatly affected by the attack, it was still a noticed discretion. I saw it wearing on Itachi, whose father had been coming down on him more and more about his less than satisfactory grades. For a while, Mikoto had asked Shisui to try and tutor the boy. But that didn't end up working out, because only a few sessions in, Shisui ended up having to take an extended leave for the Chunin Exams in Suna. When he came back, new responsibilities were on his shoulders, and he wasn't able to continue with the lessons. Mikoto dropped the tutor idea after that, and became more of a support role for Itachi after his sessions of degradation from his father.

The tension at home had sobered Itachi, but not yet crushed his spirit. Through the original story, it'd come to my attention that Itachi as a character was almost no one at all. His only role was to be obsessed with Sasuke, and every action he took for his brother's benefit. Even his loyalty to Konoha was all in the end to protect Sasuke, and his character was only bastardized further after that. Spending time with him now, I saw his true _personality_. Since we had been together through most of our young lives, he'd had as much an affect on me as I on him. He was more open, smiled freely, and even had a dry brand of humor that I could see rapidly developing. It warmed my heart.

As we walked down the street, he reached out and took my mittened hand in his gloved one, tossing me a pained smile. It was absolutely freezing outside, and even through the knit of his gloves I could feel his frigid fingers.

"Let's stop for a second." I pulled him over to a convenience store about a block away from the Academy. On the corner there was a vending machine, we waited in line for a minute, then I pulled several coins out from my pocket. His eyes widened,

"Your parents gave you money?"

I made a shushing motion and quickly got us two hot green teas. When the can was between his fingers, I could see him visibly brighten. And he immediately started sipping on it as we started walking again, "No, not exactly. But father left a few coins out on the counter and I asked if I could have them." I shrugged, "He says he thinks I'm responsible enough."

"You are." Itachi agreed, taking another sip and then keeping his reddened nose near the heat of the can to try and warm it, "I wish my mom and dad felt the same way. They say until I get my grades up, all my privileges are going to be locked down." He sighed, "I wish…" then he shook his head, "No, I've just got to keep trying."

I tilted my head sympathetically, "Well, you won your sparring match last week, didn't you?"

He scoffed, kicking at a passing snow drift, "Yes. But it was against Chi Fuma. That kid is a wimp, and everybody knows it. He almost fell over when I tried to shake his hand before the match."

"If you don't want to fight, you don't have to fight." I shrugged, "You could train to become a medic-nin. I know they are offering an extra class for third years who don't want to be placed in genin teams."

"But I _want _to be on a team!" He looked over at me with wide eyes, "I don't want to be a medic-nin. I want to be on a team with you, Mayu! I want to protect you because I know you're going to go out and do every scary thing I can think of. And I won't let you go alone. So if I have to suck it up and start hurting people I will. But it'll be for you, and for me," He glared at the ground, "and not my father and clan."

My heart started beating faster, and I knew my cheeks were red from more than the cold. Itachi let go of his tea with one hand and grabbed my free one. He looked at me with lowered brows and intense eyes that I could easily picture slipping into the sharingan,

"I haven't forgotten our promise. We'll be top rate shinobi, make enough money to live happy, and then we will move to the Moon Kingdom. So I've just got to make sure we get there."

So he hadn't forgot...I couldn't hide my smile, holding onto his hand just as tightly as he grasped mine, "You think you're so big and tough? I bet I'll be the one pulling your butt out of the fire all the time."

His stormy expression cleared, and he turned away to stifle a laugh, "Mayu Kobayashi, famous kunoichi."

We hurried into the main hall of the Academy, putting our boots in our lockers and slipping on our sandals. We hung our coats on the big rack along the back wall and hurried up the stairs. Itachi didn't have to show me the way to his classroom, because I'd wait outside for him more often than not, but it made him happy to go marching in front so I let him.

When he opened the door, I immediately looked around for familiar faces.

There weren't many. I knew Iruka, obviously, as he sat moodily in the back of the classroom, using a kunai to carve something into the desk. Other than that, I knew a few of the girls from flower arrangement and dance classes. Nana and Yuuka were two that noticed me walk in. They waved for a moment, then noticed my hand still firmly clutched in Itachi's and their eyes went wide. Immediately they started whispering to each other, and called several other girls over as well.

That couldn't be good.

"I sit over here, come on." Itachi led me up the steps to the third row of seats where a few other boys greeted him. Even their eyes lit on our hands for a moment, though they weren't as obnoxious about it. I felt like letting go just for the sake of avoided drama, but Itachi seemed determined to haul me over to a seat whether I liked it or not.

"Our Sensei is really nice," He said, smiling at me as we sat down, "Kohaku-Sensei is very no nonsense, but he is kind, and a good teacher. I'm sure you'll like him."

"Hey Itachi, gonna introduce us to your girlfriend, huh?" One of the boys sitting to Itachi's left kicked his leg lightly, "You're being rude keeping such a cutie all the way over there to yourself!"

"I've told you about Mayu-chan before, Mizuki." He pursed his lips and gave Mizuki a little frown, "There's no need for introductions."

My head was still caught back on 'girlfriend' so I wasn't really all that invested in their exchange, my reddened face staring straight ahead.

"Pff. Fine, I'll do it for you." The boy called Mizuki stood up and jumped over the desks, making a gossiping group of girls in front of us squeal and complain at him. But he ignored them and walked around in front of me, holding out a hand, "Mizuki Suganuma, a pleasure to meet you."

It took me a minute to recognize him, but when I did, I almost shied away from the outheld hand. When I did shake it, he gave me a sweet, genuine smile. But I had a hard time believing it.

"Nice to meet you, Suganuma-san." I said under my breath. Itachi immediately noticed something was wrong, and shooed Mizuki away. The only other boy in our row smiled lazily and waved, he introduced himself as Tsubasa Nara. He had the same beady eyes and thick black hair as I'd seen common in the Nara clan, and didn't look all that interested in the world around him.

"I'm sorry if Mizuki made you uncomfortable." Itachi whispered to me, his brows were furrowed and he looked upset. It was then that I realized he very badly wanted me to have a good first day. He was worried I would be nervous or scared in the new class. I blinked a few times, and then gave him a smile,

"No, I'm fine. He is…" I searched for a noncommittal word, "Interesting. That's for sure."

"'Interesting' is a kind way to put it." I whipped around at the sound of another voice on my right. I hadn't even seen the girl plop into the seat next to me. She had white blond hair and a thin face that looked prone to sneering. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Itachi frown, but make an effort to hide it.

"Rumor is that he and Iruka up there used to be good friends. But then, when people started to feel bad that Iruka's parents were killed, and they didn't pay attention to Mizuki anymore, he became cruel. I think it's true; the kid's a jerk."

Itachi sighed and crossed his arms. Obviously he felt like this was my conversation to continue. But if there was a time today when I wished he'd step in, it would have been now. Though from what I could tell, it seemed like he tried to avoid any kind of contact with the girls in the class. And with the way the whispered and giggled the whole time, constantly casting glances his way, I could see why.

"And you are…?" I raised an eyebrow, trying to place where I'd seen her face before. She looked a little put off by my disregard for her rumor, but took it in stride and tossed me a haughty grin,

"Wakana Yamanaka, niece of the Yamanaka clan head." She trumpeted her clan status like I'd know what it meant. Yamanaka sounded vaguely familiar, but after years of living in this world I'd forgotten most of the smaller details from the manga.

"Nice to meet you, I'm-"

"You're Mayu Kobayashi," She smirked, "Don't worry, we know all about you already."

My brows knit and I glanced at the group of girls in front of us. They'd been watching, and quickly looked away with little squeaks when I noticed them. So I wasn't going crazy, people _were _staring, "And how does everyone know so much about me, exactly?" I had to ask, because I knew Itachi wasn't one to speak freely outside a close group of friends.

Wakana looked at me like I was an idiot, "Uh, look who you're sitting next to, pipsqueak. Every girl in this class _hates _you."

Oh dear sweet merciful lord. I looked around the class wildly now. All of them. All the girls were whispering and ranging in expressions from amusement, to outright anger. It was just like how they acted around Sasuke in the manga. This was ridiculous.

I didn't even bother to continue the conversation, just turned in my seat and faced forward, glaring at the chalkboard and waiting for the teacher to come in. My notebook was already out and open, with a pencil lying next to it, ready for me to stick my nose in it and block out what had turned out to be a disastrous situation. My mind flashed back to all those crazy manga I read about girls being horribly bullied just because they were close to the class 'idol'. No way, no. That did not happen in real life and I was _six_. And this was _real_. I wasn't here in this class to make friends with other kids; I was here to learn important foundational skills that might help keep me alive in this murderous world .

"Hey, don't get so tense!" Wakana slapped a hand onto my back. I saw Itachi twitch next to me, but he didn't say anything. His relationship with the girls of this class must be very dire indeed, "Just because those weirdos don't want to get to know you because of some boy, doesn't mean everybody is like that!" She smiled, and somehow it seemed kinder now that I took a moment to look past her unflattering features, "I actually came over to tell you that I thought your hair ribbon was really cute. Where'd you get it?"

Pursing my lips a little, I pulled my braid over my shoulder to look at the ribbon Itachi had tied in a perfect bow. Come to think of it, he was the one that had given it to me for my birthday; it matched the scarf his mom made me.

I glanced furtively around the class, then side eyed Wakana, "Itachi gave it to me. My birthday was a few weeks ago." She had to lean in to hear, with how quiet I was speaking. But she nodded knowingly, and then in a show of brazen confidence, leaned around me and addressed Itachi directly,

"So, Uchiha-kun, where did you find that cute ribbon? I want one too."

Itachi looked like a deer in the headlights. His whole body tensed up and his eyes widened. To anyone else, he might just look a little confused, but I could read him like a book and suddenly it all made sense.

Itachi Uchiha did not have the dark, disinterested vibe that Sasuke used to charm his class in the manga.

No; he had no idea how to talk to girls, and they very obviously scared the crap out of him. So he came off looking apathetic and cool, but in reality he was just running away from their attention. I think the only thing that saved me was the fact that we grew up together.

It took him a moment, and when it became apparent that Wakana wasn't going to back off till he said something, Itachi swallowed and laughed a little to try and cover his reddening ears, "I-I was with my mom while she was picking out yarn for Kobayashi-san's scarf. I saw the ribbon and thought it would match."

"Yeah okay, but what _store_?" Wakana rolled her eyes, "I don't need your life's story, geez."

Itachi scrambled, and I could see the cogs in his head turning as he tried to remember. But after a moment he shrugged and then turned pointedly back to the desk, signalling the end of their dialogue.

Wakana laughed, loudly enough to startle half the class, then sat back next to me. It seemed she'd realized much the same thing as I had, and tossed me a wink. Suddenly, sitting next to her, I felt more like a little girl than I had my whole life. She was older, probably by a few years, and had this air of confidence about her that was inspiring.

I reached over and patted Itachi's back, while he hid his red cheeks behind his bangs. Poor kid; Wakana was just too cool for him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hope you like this chapter, LOT'S of important things happen here. And they are gonna open up a massive plot line that even I cannot yet comprehend the scope of. This story has a grip on me, let's see how long this lasts!**

**Enjoy! And please let me know what you think!**

**-Ms.P**

* * *

><p>The walk home was quite loud, that day.<p>

Itachi and I were accompanied by Mizuki and Wakana for half the way, and the two argued ceaselessly about nearly everything the other had to say. It was entertaining, but quickly became tiresome. It seemed both of them had decided that they were now part of some inner circle that Itachi had opened for business upon my arrival in the class. Which left me to assume he'd been rather reclusive until today. It made sense; the boy was rarely forthcoming with his true personality around those he didn't know.

"Well, this is where we part, my new friend." Wakana said, stopping along the side of the dirt road. It led further into the heart of the village, down near the marketplace. She'd mentioned that her family owned a flower shop in town, "You should come by the shop some time, Mayu-chan." She grinned, patting my head, "I'll see you tomorrow, don't let that stupid Mizuki bother you too much longer."

Mizuki sputtered as she began walking away, throwing a wave over her shoulder.

"She's so cool…" I imagined I had stars in my eyes, watching her go. Itachi looked confused, and mildly repulsed, but didn't comment as we picked the trail to the Uchiha compound back up. Rather than take control of the conversation now that Wakana was gone, Mizuki seemed to lose interest in our little group. As we walked by a park, he saw several people he knew, and bade us goodbye to run and play.

We were alone a few moments before Itachi let out the rigid straightness he'd had all day. A giant breath escaped him and he looked over at me, relief coloring his features, "Wow. I had no idea you'd attract so many people, Mayu."

"Neither did I." I laughed. We walked a little closer than before, and I could see his cheeks coloring again, as I felt his hand brush mine. I smirked, and saved him the trouble, reaching over to take his hand in mine, "Still a little cold, eh?" I muttered as he gripped my fingers a little tighter.

He gave me a shy smile, "Hopefully training will warm us up a bit." Then, he seemed to remember something, and tugged on my hand a bit, "Hey, you wanted to tell me something. I've waited all day, so let's hear it."

Ah. This.

I bit my bottom lip, looking away, out onto the sprawling park. It took up nearly two blocks so it was taking forever to get around. There was a pond in the middle of the rolling hills, with a little dock jutting out. Itachi and I liked to swim there, during the summer. But it looked like people were using it for ice skating now. It was something I hadn't tried yet; maybe I could convince him in the next couple of days. Really anything other than the conversation we were about to have sounded good, at the moment.

"Do you remember the night the nine tailed fox attacked?" I said after a while, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"Of course." He said solemnly, the picture of patience, "Why?"

"I'm wondering if you remember the specifics." I said slowly.

His brows furrowed and he looked at me like he was trying to decode a secret message, "I remember awakening my sharingan. And…" a light bulb went off, "are you saying you've figured out what happened when we fell from the wall?"

"No." I said truthfully, "But, it has to do with the first thing you mentioned. I think we might be able to figure out what it was, or is, with your sharingan."

He looked confused, "But how can I see it now if you won't be able to do it again. You've said you don't know how it happened."

I sighed, here we go, "Well. I did do it again. Just yesterday."

Itachi nearly let go of my hand in shock, then, leaned close and said, "What?" urgently, under his breath, "What happened?"

I glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, "I was on my way to your house. And before you start freaking out; nothing bad happened. I wasn't in any danger or anything. But I was trying to practice feeling the flow of my chakra while I was moving. Because they've only taught us to do it while we were sitting still. I'm not sure what happened, or what I did, but one moment I was near the front gates, and the next I was underwater," I looked at him with wide eyes, "but it was that same kind of underwater from that night. I saw stars and stuff around me, but, I saw other things too. Its almost like the stars were in the background, and the world around me was just kind of foggy. I could still see the gate, and buildings, and people all walking around. So, I started panicking."

He squeezed my hand, but didn't interrupt, waiting for me to continue, "I was floating off the ground, and losing energy really fast, just like before. And all I could think of was you, and your house, and how all I wanted was to get there." I stopped walking, and he did too, watching me with riveted focus, "And suddenly, there it was, like I was underwater looking up at the surface; and the surface was the Main House garden. I swam towards it, and as soon as my fingertip touched, I came tumbling out into a fountain."

"That's why you were all wet when I came downstairs…" Itachi said quietly, awe clearly written across his features.

"Yeah. From the fountain, and wherever it was I went." I finished lamely.

"So...you want me to use the sharingan, to try and see if it's a jutsu?" He said slowly. We were approaching the training field outside the compound now and it was mercifully empty. But I still didn't trust it. Feeling paranoid, I tugged him in the opposite direction,

"Yes. But...let's go somewhere else." I couldn't think of a good excuse. He wasn't as aware of the increased security as I was, but seemed to go along with it regardless; he didn't like to use the sharingan too close to home. Someone might notice.

So we ended up walking outside of the village, to the flower fields we used to play in when we were younger, before the Academy. We both sat down at the base of a massive tree at the edge, where field turned to forest. It was there we ate our afternoon snacks, gazing out at the field of winter peonies. The pink and red blossoms were breath taking this time of year, with snow piled up around them.

"Okay, do you want to try this?" Itachi got to his feet, stowing his bento box in his satchel. I nodded and we left our school things at the base of the tree, going to stand in a bare patch among the flowers.

"Alright," He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. After a moment, they snapped open and a pulse of power rippled out from him. They were blood red, with the muscles of the iris curled into a rift around the pupil that made it look like a solid line. It wasn't a very powerful sharingan yet, but it would do, "whatever you're going to do, do it quick. I can't hold this for very long." He already looked like he was struggling; his eyes twitched periodically and a vein was beginning to pop on the side of his forehead.

It was a lot of pressure; I wasn't even all that sure I could pull it off again. But I had to try, if we were going through all this.

An idea occurred to me just as I started to concentrate, "Why don't you attack me?"

He grunted with the effort of keeping his eyes focused, "What?"

"Attack me! The stress might help."

He took a few deep breaths, then whipped a kunai out from his pack and started to rush me. I could see he was holding back, we trained together all the time and I knew his limits just as well as he knew mine.

So instead of pulling out a kunai and counter attacking, I rolled out of the way. All the time trying desperately to feel the flow of chakra, and recognize the catch when the jutsu would ignite.

I saw it the moment he did; Itachi's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open a little just as I was sucked back a few feet, out of range from the kunai he'd been just about to bring across my chest.

But it was different this time. There were no stars, no galaxy. I was simply underwater. I looked around, and the whole land was in a deep, endless ocean which flooded all the way up into the sky and even submerged the sun. Whipping my head back and forth, I saw that the peonies in the field were swaying gently to some unknown current, and that the snow had melted to show the drifting grass underneath.

Itachi still stood right in front of me, but he was looking around wildly, as if he couldn't see me. Then, as I twitched my arm to the side, his head turned back in my direction, and he narrowed his red eyes. Experimentally, I waved my arm, he squinted further, and took a hesitant step forward. It looked like his lips were moving to say something, as his hair floated around him. I wondered how he kept his feet on the ground while I floated weightlessly.

All that came from his mouth was bubbles, though it didn't look like he was holding his breath as his chest was heaving from the effort of maintaining the sharingan for so long. And after a few more seconds he bared his teeth and stumbled backwards, slamming his hands over his eyes.

"Itachi!" A storm of bubbles escaped my lips, and the moment I took a step forward, it was like coming up for air. The world of water disappeared and I was back in reality once more; soaking wet in the dead of winter. And _completely _drained of energy.

I fell to my knees about the time he took his hands away from his eyes, "Mayu!" His eyes were back to their original, dark color. But he had bright red veins pulsing through them like the tissue was screaming from the strain. He dropped down next to me and held me up as my head became lighter than air, and all the feeling went out of my limbs, like every other time this had happened.

"I saw it Mayu! Your chakra went funny for a split second, all of it gathered around your head. Then you were just _gone_. I had to focus so hard to see you, and even then it was like I was looking at you from a mile away, and yet you were still right here! Augh…" He hissed and rubbed at his eyes, tears beginning to flow down his cheeks as they watered, "_My eyes_...they used up so much chakra looking for you...what happened, where did you _go_?"

I coughed and sputtered, beginning to shiver violently through my soaked clothing, "I...I don't know...I was underwater. It was the same feeling as last time, except I knew I wasn't going anywhere...I...ohhhh…" I sagged in his arms and he struggled to keep me up in his weakened state, "I don't feel so good…"

"Here, let me try to…" he panted, obviously drained of energy as well, "get you back to the tree. I have an extra sweater in my bag."

Together, we staggered back over to the tree. Itachi tried to sit me back against the towering trunk, but was shaking like a leaf in the wind. We both ended up falling in a pile near our bags. And that worked just fine; we were both too tired to move, and he was warm. So he grabbed his bag and yanked the sweater out. Turning away, he waited for me to struggle out of my sopping wet tunic and undershirt. I pulled the sweater on, thankful at once for the trademark high, Uchiha collar. I tossed my wet shirt over by my own bag, then crawled back over to Itachi, who wrapped his arms around me as our teeth began to chatter.

"I think it was some sort of Kekkei Genkai." He said after a little while, "you didn't make any hand signs, or even try to perform a jutsu. It just happened, like my sharingan."

I nodded, too tired to say much in response. The violent shivers wracking my body earlier were beginning to calm down, "G-Good thing we d-...d-don't live...in the land...of Snow…"

He laughed, weakly at that, "With how cold it's been lately, we might as well." With a sigh, he held me a little tighter, and we looked out over the village from our hilltop vantage point. The sun was still hovering over the horizon, but we wouldn't be able to stay there for much longer. If that last little bit of warmth sunk below the tree line, I would be done for.

"We're going to have to get back there, somehow." He said quietly, mirroring my thoughts.

"I-...I can w-walk." My teeth were chattering so loud I could barely speak. But Itachi understood well enough. He got to his knees, still rubbing his eyes with one hand as they started to become red and puffy.

We didn't make it far. We were on the edge of the flower field, the gates of the village still mocking us with their distance when we both ran out of steam. Our breaths had been labored for a while, but now Itachi's chest rose and fell in huge heaves, and I could see him shaking. I was shaking for another reason; my lips were blue, and I couldn't feel my fingers anymore.

"Just a little further.." He panted, but i could see that he was completely out of energy. The sharingan was too much for him at this age, and there was no way he was ready to use it in even a mock combat situation yet. We'd have to practice much, much more.

"L-let's rest for a second." I mumbled, though I couldn't feel my face well enough for it to come out less than garbled.

"No; we're almost there." He said, his brow setting and his jaw getting that stubborn tilt to it. Itachi rarely pushed things to go his way, but I knew he was a protector, body and soul and there was no way we were going to be outside those gates when the sun went down if he had anything to say about it.

"You kids need some help?"

We both jumped; neither of us had heard or felt the approaching energy. But nonetheless there he was. And had I not been in such a sorry state, I likely would have lost all comprehensive ability anyway, because giving us a look that was a mix of concern and curiosity, with a whole heaping helping of exhaustion, was _Jiraiya_.

I could only stare in mirrored shock with Itachi at the massive man in front of us. His hair was snowy white, just like in the story. But rather than the porcupine look it'd given him, it was tied back with multiple pins and braids into a massive tail going down his back. It was so impressive, and I had to wonder if he did it himself, or had one of the 'girls' he took to bed do it for him.

It made no sense though, for him to be back in the village right now. He was supposed to be tracking the movements of Orochimaru and Akatsuki...but perhaps he was simply checking in, without the intention of a prolonged stay. Either way, we were both gaping at him like dying fish, and it seemed to cheer a little bit of the heavy sadness in his features.

"I'll take that as a yes then- poor girl, you like you're about to freeze." He squatted next to me in his red geta sandals, "Hold still a moment." He brought his fingers up to his lips like a shushing motion, and blew gently. A blessedly warm wind blew around us, like standing at just the right distance from a campfire. My clothes and hair poofed out around me, dry and clean. Itachi's did the same, and his thin hair was frizzed out to nearly stand on end. Both of our cheeks were flushed with warmth, and it was sadly missed when it faded away.

"There you go. Now, why don't I help you two get home? I'm Jiraiya by the way." He herded us in front of him and began walking, his geta clacking along the cobblestone road all the way.

"I-Itachi Uchiha." Itachi chirped, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them.

"Mayu Kobayashi," I said shyly, still in awe that this great man was taking the time to walk two random children to their houses, "and, thank you so much Jiraiya-sama."

The toad sage smiled down at us, "No problem. Had I known I would be escorting the famous Uchiha heir, and his lovely lady friend through the village," He plucked at his ratty red haori, "I'd have dressed up for the occasion."

My eyes widened. That he'd been gone from the village so often and still knew the heir to every family by name was impressive. Or, he'd just been keeping an eye out for Uchiha information since the nine tails attack; that was probably further in the realm of possibility with all the stigma developing against them. Jiraiya's espionage talents were only seconded by his writing prowess, after all.

"You know who I am?" Itachi blinked several times, a humble blush coloring his cheeks, "Have you met my father, then?"

"Of course! Fugaku was still a genin the last time I saw him, though. He and my apprentice, Minato Namikaze, didn't get along so well. They had something of a rivalry going on between them over just about everything," Jiraiya smirked, "including your mother, Mikoto, for the longest time. Though we can see who won that particular battle."

Itachi and I giggled as Jiraiya led us through the village proper. He even stopped to grab some dango for us. I could see the hero worship in Itachi's eyes when the old sage handed him the treat.

"So, you taught the fourth Hokage?" Itachi said with no small amount of wonder, "You must be incredibly strong."

Jiraiya smiled sadly, "I suppose so. Minato was a good student, a smart boy," He looked away from us, his smile dropping into a heavy frown as if Itachi had reminded him of something he liked very little to think about, "I only wish I could have done more for him."

There was a moment of solemn silence as Itachi and I were reminded of the nine tails attack, and the great man who was lost in the process. I was hit with that same wretched guilt, wishing I could have done something more, knowing that if I'd just been able to speak to the Hokage, to get to him in time, I might have stopped the whole thing. But I was so busy lounging around in my new life, with my new friends, and my new parents, that I didn't even stop to think that this world was going to be in another world war, very soon. And if I didn't get my act together, the story would play out as it was meant to; with entirely too many casualties.

Jiraiya noticed my face fall into a stone mask that was far too grim for a child, and his expression became curious,

"Mayu-chan, are you alright?"

I glanced up at him, words bubbling at my lips. Knowing that if there was anyone in this world that I could tell my secret to, anyone who might believe me, it would be this man. But as I looked over at Itachi, giving me an innocent look of concern, I couldn't do it. Not in front of him; I couldn't take away what I'd become, his truest and closest friend.

But at the same time, I needed answers.

"I'm fine. But I was wondering, Jiraiya-sama," I looked at the approaching gates to the Uchiha compound, "if you could take me to my house. I don't live in the Uchiha compound, after all."

Itachi tugged on my hand, "But Mayu, we were going to do homework together, and mother expects you for dinner."

I smiled sadly at him, "I know, but I'm really tired after all that training we did this afternoon, and I'd just like to go home and get some sleep," giving his hand a little squeeze before I let go, I walked over to Jiraiya's side, "Come over early tomorrow, and mama will make pancakes for us!"

Itachi's fallen expression turned to a raised eyebrow, "Earlier than usual to braid that hair of yours?"

"Earlier than usual." I said with a smile.

When Itachi walked away, Jiraiya and I stood in silence for a few moments. Then, he took the tiniest step away from me, with an unreadable expression, "I have to wonder what level of illusion you're using that you can appear to be a child so convincingly." His voice had a low grumble that signalled a warning to me. I'd have to go about this carefully; if he'd noticed already that something was different about me, then he wouldn't be nearly as receptive of what I needed to tell him.

I took a deep breath, then gestured down the street, feeling a relief I didn't expect to drop the childish lilt to my voice and speak with the seriousness of an adult, for once in my life, "Shall we speak somewhere else, Jiraiya-Gama Sennin?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Well this is a _very_ long chapter, but I implore you to stick with it. Plot wise it's the most important one to date. And we are getting ready for two big jumps that will bring us ever closer to that fateful night when the Uchiha were laid low...or perhaps it will happen differently this time? Only time will tell...**

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think**

**-Ms.P**

**(_Trigger warning: if you have issues with child abuse, even the sparse mention in this chapter, I'd suggest skipping the point after the break in text for about three paragraphs, and then you should be good. Thank you for reading!_)**

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><p>"So, what village are you from, Iwa, Suna? You're not leaf ANBU, that's for sure."<p>

Jiraiya maintained a professional distance from me now, as we walked down the road. I wasn't entirely sure where we were going, but I guessed he was leading me somewhere that I could be easily subdued and apprehended if he needed to use force. The idea terrified me.

The poker face I'd donned soon as Itachi turned his back was wearing thin. This man meant business, and I was constantly reminded that he was one of the most powerful nin in the world, and that it took the combined might of all Pain's paths to kill him.

"I'm not from another village, if you'll believe me." I said quietly, not too fond of the thought that someone might hear this conversation. I'd worked hard not to arouse suspicion for the few years I'd been stuck in this child's body, and I'd wished to discuss _my _secret on _my _terms. But Jiraiya was just too damn perceptive.

"I'll believe what I'm given evidence to." He said calmly, staring straight ahead down the street. But I knew he was ready, no doubt calling to mind several scenarios to kill me if I suddenly transformed into a dangerous enemy shinobi. The thought would have been funny if it weren't so absurd, and life threatening.

"While I'd like nothing more than to tell you all I wish to this very moment, doing so out in the open would put me in a very compromising position, don't you agree?" I replied.

"Oh? And how am I supposed to know that you aren't trying to lure me away to some secluded corner to slit my throat, Mayu-chan?" He said without the faintest hint of mocking. But I smirked all the same, looking up to meet his steely eyes for the first time since he'd realized I wasn't who I appeared to be,

"I think we both know that no matter who I turn out to be, that you won't have to worry about me killing you," and here we go, the moment of truth, "no...the one that kills you is Nagato, your former student and carrier of the Rinnegan."

To his credit, the only alteration to Jiraiya's easy gait was the shock that rippled through every inch of his body. His hands balled up into fists and his eyes flashed murder for a moment at the mention of something so intensely personal, he twitched his head toward me, "Give me one good reason not to kill you this very second. No one should know about Nagato and what he possesses, who are you, who do you work for?"

"My name is Mayu Kobayashi," I said with a calm I didn't feel after being threatened by one of the Sanin, "I am six years old, and twenty eight years old, I was born in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and I know everything that's going to happen in the next fourteen years, and everything that _has_ happened -in at least a broad context- up till now. _Especially _things I'm not supposed to."

Jiraiya was quiet for a moment, and I could see the cogs turning in his head, so I continued before he could say anything, "I knew the nine tailed demon fox was going to attack Konoha two years ago. I knew Minato and Kushina were going to die," I ground my teeth and looked at my feet, "and I knew you would refuse the position of Hokage yet again to go chasing after Orochimaru, and leave Naruto, your Godson, all alone. Now he's two years old without a clue of all the hatred the village will throw at him as soon as he shows his face."

The expression of shock was openly written across Jiraiya's features now. I saw guilt, fury, and crushing sadness. He slowed to a stop, and I did as well-careful to stay a few feet away from him and sure that I could buy myself a few seconds of life if I managed to perform the underwater dimensional jutsu again, somehow.

"...How…do you know all of that?" He finally ground out, his face had gone cold, and his eyes were chips of obsidian filled with self loathing.

"I know it because where I come from, it's all a story in one man's head." I said frankly. We were in a park now, and it was night time. The people that passed by under the strings of electric lights woven through the trees likely just saw a Grandfather and his child taking a stroll together through town. But I knew the ANBU sensors would have been alerted the moment Jiraiya set foot in the village, and if they weren't watching us now, they would be soon. We desperately needed to get someplace else to continue this conversation, but I had no clue how to make him trust me.

The toad sage gave me a long, appraising look. And I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up in my paranoia. I was sure that we were being watched, that any moment now my parent's home would be invaded and they would get carted off to Root and interrogated for harboring a terrorist spy. The panic began to show in my expression and I could feel my breathing escalate,

"Please, you have to believe me. All I want to do is help," I muttered with watery eyes, "That's all I've wanted to do since I got here...and you cannot imagine, knowing that such tragedies are coming and being _stuck_," I motioned down to myself, "_like this_. No one will listen to a child, no one _would_ have listened to a four year old, not even Minato Namikaze. And that's what kills me."

There it was.

His eyes softened and after a moment he knelt down in front of me. Tears were starting to drip down my reddened cheeks, and I was taking short, gasping breaths to try and contain them. But it wasn't really working,

"I died so young...my heart failed, and then I woke up as a baby, here, in a world I thought was fake." I whispered to him, his eyes were wide with wonder and sympathy, "I don't know who put me here, or why. But I have to try and help. I have to try and save the people that die, I can't just sit by and let it all happen."

Jiraiya watched in silence a moment longer, then he hefted a great sigh and met my eyes again. His were wary.

"You know, it'd be _crazy _to trust you. A little girl that says she's from another world."

I started to cry harder, but did my best to nod, using my sleeve to swipe across my face and retain a little dignity.

"And you're a threat to the village's security, whether your telling the truth or not. I _should _just cart you off to Danzo Shimura right now."

I couldn't help but agree, bobbing my head up and down in resignation.

"But…" he sighed and brought out a handkerchief, gently wiping my cheeks with it, "I've never been able to resist a pretty face," He smiled gently, "so dry those tears, and let's go talk about this over dinner."

I was doing my best to be modest; but after the day I'd had, I was shoveling the ramen in like there was no tomorrow. Ichiraku's was much the same as in Naruto's time; the bar stools a little newer, and Teuchi a little younger. Little Ayame was up on a step stool to take our orders, and her father joyfully corrected her each time she misspelled a word.

"So you're from another world," Jiraiya said, contemplatively swirling his cup of sake.

I glanced over at him and slurped up the noodles left hanging from my mouth, nodding mutley as I tried to get them down. He watched me for a moment, then chuckled despite himself, "It's funny, if you hadn't reacted so strangely when I spoke about Minato, I wouldn't have guessed you were anything other than a child."

"I _am _a child." I pointed out, dabbing at my chin with a napkin then taking a gulp of water, " I can't help the impulses sometimes. It's…" I sighed and then took a bite out of the egg floating on top of the soup, "hard to explain."

"Try." He motioned around himself, "I've got time to listen."

I took another swallow of water and then stared into the steaming noodles. It was strange to talk about my experience. For so many years I'd been stuck in a strange limbo of playing a part, and truly being a child, and to convey that odd situation to someone else wasn't something I'd aptly prepared for.

Plus, I could only think of a troubled Itachi doing his homework alone, and my parents waiting and waiting for Fugaku to walk me home. It didn't help my nerves that I was worrying so many, but this was a man that could make a difference with the information I gave him. I'd been aching for a purpose in this world since I was a child, and now it was my chance to reach out and take it.

"When I died- in my world," I looked over at him, "I was only twenty two. In my world there weren't shinobi, there wasn't chakra, and there certainly weren't demons. Just stories about them. And one of the stories was called…" I chuckled to myself, "Naruto. It was a manga, written about an utterly gutsy ninja, who somehow managed to save the world with the help of his friends."

Jiraiya blinked a few times, "You've read my book?"

I giggled a little and shook my head, "Can't say I've had the pleasure. But in the manga, Naruto Uzumaki talked about it a lot after you were gone, especially when he confronted Nagato. It was important, _you_, were important.

"I know the entire history of the Shinobi world, and though I've forgotten a lot of the specifics over the years, living here has helped to fill in some blanks that even the manga didn't cover. I know about the sage of the six paths, and his two sons, and how their feud is reborn over and over and over again. And this next set of battling brothers combined with an ancient one nearly locks the world in an endless dream, fourteen years from now," I took a breath and then looked him squarely in the eye, "and I'd very much like to stop that from happening."

At first, I felt like telling him an entire play by play summary of the manga. But there were several reasons that was a bad idea. Telling a person from this world their future was bad enough; telling them the future of everyone else living here was just unfair to the world at large. Jiraiya was trustworthy, of that I could be sure, but I left the burden of knowing to myself. So I would settle with my own story.

"You say 'when I'm gone'...and earlier you mentioned Nagato killing me," Jiraiya's brows furrowed and he shook his head, looking away, "I didn't even know he was still alive.." I hesitated to tell him the details of Pain, not wanting to reveal too much, so I only nodded. He glanced at me and seemed to realize I would be staying tight lipped about it.

The toad sage took a long drink of sake, then motioned for Teuchi to fill it up again. He turned to me, "So you are an adult in a child's body. What have you been doing all this time, just…" he waved a hand in circles, "getting pampered?"

I shook my head then leaned over to him, speaking very quietly so only he could hear, "An event is to occur in the near future. Involving a clan that I have become close to, a clan that I've come to love," Itachi's face swam up into my mind, uninvited. His gentle eyes twinkling in the sunlight, holding a hand out and waiting for me to take it. I swallowed hard, and continued, "with all the power I can muster at the age I've worked up to, I'm trying to prevent it. It's crucial that this does not happen. If I can stop this tragedy, I could very well prevent many more."

Jiraiya nodded, understanding to whom I was referring. He undoubtedly knew we were being watched, and his discretion was both unexpected and greatly appreciated. He took another swig of sake and stared at the counter for a moment. I could see his mind racing.

"Alright. You've gotten a fraction of my trust. Even though the thought that this entire world was packed into a comic is debatable; you certainly know things that you shouldn't." He looked over at me, "So let's have a test; anyone can look into the past, but I want to see if your knowledge of the future is as good."

My brows furrowed and I stopped in the middle of a bite, setting the chopsticks down again, "I can't tell you everything, that would mess up your timeline, and it's too important."

He laughed, a hard laugh and spread his hands, "If I'd found you a few years ago my 'timeline' would be greatly improved, and we'd have the Yellow Flash sitting safe at home with his wife and son, if what you're telling me is true," he looked at me with a seriousness that bordered on obsession, "so if you want me to trust you, you'll tell me the location of Orochimaru, and you'll do it now."

"I can't give you an exact location. He's got safe houses and labs all over the land of fire, and even other countries. But...I do know one thing; he is interested in Akatsuki." I said quickly, and uncertainty, "He won't join them for several years yet, but he is tracking their movements. Follow them, and you'll find him." I didn't know much about Orochimaru in this time period, but I knew he was attracted to powerful jutsu, and what better organization to target than a criminal one made up of S-Rank missing nin?

Jiraiya nodded, whipping out a little note book and jotting down several lines of code. Then he got up, "Alright. I'm going to follow this lead." He looked down and held out a hand, "And if I get anything from it, I'll know you were telling the truth, and we can start working together properly. Now, let's get you home."

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><p>"And you can stay in there until you've figured out a way to regain my respect! Good luck; with how far you've fallen."<p>

The door slammed, and Itachi was left standing alone in his room.

Father never yelled at him when Mayu was around, and he'd been hoping that her absence tonight wouldn't be noticed.

His hope was in vain.

As soon as Father got home, Itachi could tell he'd been at one of his secret meetings. He was all riled up, and Itachi could practically see the discontent rolling off the man in waves; along with the bitter scent of alcohol. So when he was spotted, sitting alone at the table with his homework while Mother and Sasuke were playing in the next room, it was open season.

Fugaku railed and raged, getting himself so worked up that he broke a tea pot. Mother had quickly fled upstairs with Sasuke,knowing how unwise it was to get between him and Father when the man went on a rampage.

At the end of it all, Fugaku's sharingan was burning in his eyes as he hauled Itachi up by the front of his shirt and slapped him across the face, once, twice, and then a third time before his own sharingan lit. The shock of his father laying a hand on him had ignited a fear in Itachi's belly that brought the sharingan screaming up. He went flying out of his father's hands and slammed against the back wall, heart beating like a hammer in his chest and eyes zipping around the room without missing a detail in their ruby red depths.

Fugaku was speechless. No doubt surprised that his worthless whelp of a boy had unlocked the ancient clan power so early. But when he saw that Itachi would not fight back, that it was only fear in those eyes, not anger, not indignation; not the spark he needed to run a revolution, he was only enraged further.

"You squander your gift, you refuse to fight, you lack the _spine _of an Uchiha." Fugaku had snarled, "Do you know the shame you bring on me? Every time your blasted teacher sends a note, yet another complaint of your damned pacifism, telling me that 'perhaps you weren't cut out for the shinobi life', or 'the road of the medical-nin might suit him better'...you are a _stain_. Get out of my sight!"

Itachi stood there, staring at the door with the red of the sharingan shining dimly in the moonlight. It hadn't yet faded, and felt stronger than when he'd used it earlier in the day. His body felt alive, the blood pumping to where he felt like he could see the entire world in the grain of the wood. And he hated it.

Tears began to roll down his swollen cheeks, over the bruises blooming around his eyes. He made sure to keep his cries silent, gritting his teeth and clenching his hands so hard the nails cut into the flat of his palms. He would have to ask Akiko-san to heal him before he went to Mayu's house, the next day. There was no way she could see him like this, and the old woman would be one of the few in the compound that would keep his secret.

Mayu…

"_Mayu_..._Mayu…ohh…_" His voice was little more than a raspy whisper as he fell to his knees. At the thought of her sweet face, those eyes that turned to gold when the sun hit them just right, the red angry color of the sharingan faded from his. He brought his hands up and was amazed at how blurry they seemed with his vision back to normal, or perhaps obscured by his tears.

Itachi looked at his hands, and could only picture her little ones clasped there. Since that first day that she was slipped into his arms in the market he'd felt there was something so calming in her presence. When he would walk her around the garden in her silent year, there was something peaceful in her smile. Even this afternoon, soaking wet and freezing, her tired grin had encouraged him, made him feel special, like he could do anything as long as she was there. As long as she was next to him.

But suddenly the malevolent glare of his father's sharingan cut through his mind once more. He'd heard his parents talking about her, saying she'd made him weak. That he'd forgotten about his own family to go and make nice with some 'lowborn mud-rat'. It'd infuriated him, and it was one of the only times the sharingan had activated without his permission, like tonight.

And his father's actions up to this point only led to one conclusion; Mayu was no longer safe in this house. And neither would he be if something wasn't done.

He knew what he had to do.

Itachi wiped his tears away with an angry swat of his hand and walked silently to his window. Climbing out, he took a breath and walked easily down the side of the building. The chakra in his feet was perfectly siphoned, and he had no trouble maintaining it. He'd _never _had any.

Once he hit the ground, his eyes lit up red one more, the power flowing easily now, feeding off his fear and his desire. He sunk back into the shadows, his eyes missing nothing, and seeing for miles. Without a mirror he couldn't see the single rip in his iris, giving way to an extended pupil, in the shape of a comma.

Itachi slunk through the Uchiha compound, sliding effortlessly through the shadows and out of view from any who might be watching. The only time he was detected, passing through the narrow corridors along the main drag, Shisui Uchiha had snapped his head over in Itachi's direction, narrowing his eyes. Itachi had frozen and concentrated on maintaining eye contact with Shisui, willing a genjutsu to take hold in that moment. Shisui struggled against it, but without his sharingan activated, his eyes glazed over and he was caught in an illusion that likely wouldn't hold the ANBU inductee very long. So Itachi quickly scrambled along the wall and out of sight.

Soon, he was out of the compound and gliding along the snow covered streets of the village proper, no footprints left in his wake. There was hardly anyone out at this time of night, except the occasional shinobi leaping from roof to roof. Itachi kept out of sight in the shadows still, his sharingan seeing easily through the darkness.

The Naka Shrine came into view after several miles of walking. His red eyes lit on it, gleaming like a cat's in the darkness. There were several monks still awake, he could see their silhouettes through the paper doors and windows. And he lit on the slightest movement in the ancestral shrines on either side of the building. A white mask caught the light for the tiniest fraction of a second. ANBU.

Either Shisui had alerted them, or it was a standard patrol. There was no way the other Uchiha could know of Itachi's intent, so it likely wasn't the former. Thus with the latter being the most probable, Itachi settled in to wait.

He watched the ANBU's movements, picking them out easily among the shifting darkness the shinobi tried to conceal himself in. The man was milling around, reading the inscriptions on the walls in his boredom. Itachi waited one second, then two, then with steps quicker than lightning, he was across the road and up the steps of the shrine, out of the ANBU's range of sight.

The seventh tatami mat from the far right...how often had he heard father mutter those words to a passing clansman when they were out in the compound? How little effort it took to figure out what it meant.

Itachi crept through the silent halls, his booted feet quieter than a summer breeze. The old relics from the four great clans hung about the walls, meticulously dusted and cared for. And the great gong stood on its perch at the head of the hall. Itachi melted from shadow to shadow with grace he'd long suppressed. Violence and subterfuge came to him so naturally, and he'd fought against it for so long…

In his mind's eye he saw his father lifting Mayu into the air like he'd done to his own son earlier that night.

No. That could _not _happen. The Moon Kingdom; he took deep breaths, 'just think of the Moon Kingdom.'

Itachi slid alongside the tatami mat, the seventh on the far right, and let his hands hover over it for a moment. His eyes brought the mat into painfully perfect focus, each individual woven thread visible in all its imperfection. He found the nick in the middle and slipped a finger underneath. The mat was heavier than he expected and he lifted it up with a little grunt, looking around hastily to make sure no one heard.

There it was, the door. He knelt down and focused his chakra in his eyes, staring into the lock near the handle. There was a moment of silence, then, a barely audible, 'click'.

Quickly, he lifted the heavy oaken door and slipped underneath, letting it shut and lock behind him.

The room was pitch black, but his eyes could see just fine, picking out the miniscule reflected light in the darkness. He felt power in this room, and rage, soaking through the walls and saturating the air to the point that he felt like gagging. The Uchiha used this room for their secret meetings, to plan...something sinister. Itachi knew nothing of their plots, as his father would never include such a worthless son in any of his them, but he heard whispers. He knew the Uchiha were waiting, gathering power. For what, Itachi wasn't sure, but he knew it wasn't good.

When that time came, he had to be ready. To protect Mother, and Sasuke...and Mayu.

The stone tablet on the opposite side of the room had an evil aura rolling off it, and it called to him. But Itachi stood tall, his hands relaxed at his sides. He walked calmly towards it and held out a hand. The stone was cool, and the words written in a shifting, shimmering paint that only his eyes could see.

Itachi narrowed them, the comma swirling around as the muscles of his iris focused,

"Show me your secrets." His voice was little more than a hiss of air, washing over the tablet. His eyes could pick up even the disturbance of the dust particles with his every breath.

The tablet _hummed _in response, the force within making contact with what it knew would one day be a chakra to be feared…

And so the balance of power shifted.

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><p><strong>And here our little Itachi will start acting a bit more like his manga counterpart...but boy oh boy are you in for a surprise.<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**A little bit older, a little bit bolder, and a whole lot of fun to write! Hopefully I'll get some character designs up on my Tumblr soon, I just haven't been able to tear myself away from writing long enough to draw! Keep an eye out, my username is 'misspaper'**

**Enjoy! And please, let me know what you think!**

**-Ms.P**

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><p>Over three years went by with no word from Jiraiya, and the time of the Uchiha massacre was drawing steadily nearer.<p>

Something happened to both of us that night, something that sobered us from childish fantasies and whims. Something made Itachi fight.

It was cloudy that day, and humid. Like summer couldn't make up it's mind about transitioning to fall. I hated days like this; overcast and good for nothing more than slouching around. But of course, today wasn't a day that I could afford to be anything but my best. Today was the graduation exam.

I sat back in the stands, playing with an escaped lock of hair that trailed down my chest. My braids were intricate today, tight to my skull along my hairline and neck, then winding up into three main lines that wove around each other into a bun on the top of my head. Itachi had truly outdone himself.

"Yield." The voice was deadly calm, and confident.

"No!" A flash of metal, followed by a clang and a grunt of pain.

"_Yield_." The command was spoken with the same tone, but there was a warning brewing underneath now.

"Screw you, Uchiha!"

I watched with hooded eyes as Itachi drew one foot back through the dust of the training field. The crowd of our classmates drew in a breath of sympathy for the boy in the dirt, Hiroto. He'd been the top of our class for as long as anyone could remember. Well, until three years ago that was.

With a flash of movement, Itachi's foot connected with the side of Hiroto's head, and the huge boy dropped into the dirt like a sack of rocks.

"Match, Itachi Uchiha." Kohaku-Sensei called out. The male side of the class groaned, while the girls began whispering violently among themselves and making little noises that barely passed for human.

"Seventh match, undefeated," Our Sensei called out, brushing a hand through his cropped brown hair before he glanced down at the list in his hands. I saw the faintest eyeroll, "Next match, versus Mayu Koba-"

"I withdraw." Itachi said, expression cold and unchanging as he climbed into the stands.

The boys gave him a wide berth as he came to sit down next to me. I, on the other hand tossed him a little smile as I watched the three commas of his sharingan spin into nothing, and his red eyes cool down to black,

"Wish me luck?"

His mouth twitched in the barest approximation of a smile, "You don't need luck."

"Still sounds nice when you say it, though."

Itachi considered me for a moment, then leaned forward with a gentle smile, tucking the stray hair back into place, "Good luck, Mayu, despite the fact that you will do wonderfully regardless of anything I say."

I swatted at his arm and threw a smirk over my shoulder as I walked down the steps.

"Match, Mayu Kobayashi, versus," The instructor paused, and then said in a voice that sounded infinitely more interested, "Kenji Hashimoto."

A bark of laughter came up from the girls section, followed by shushing and poorly contained giggling. The boys snorted and tried to look anywhere but me. And I...well I had to resist smacking my own forehead.

With a heavy sigh, I kept walking down the steps, refusing to look back at Itachi. I knew he'd be wearing the same neutral expression he always did, but I'd see _it_ swirling in those black eyes somewhere. And I was now in too foul a mood to deal with it. So I kept walking until my sandals smacked against the dirt of the training field.

Really, I should be thankful. This was pre-graduation day for the advanced class. While most other classes would have some incredibly easy jutsu test and then get handed off to second rate jounin, we would get the top pick; graduating earlier and getting teachers who were usually ex-ANBU, or sometimes current ANBU, which was even better. A stamp would be placed on our team registration scroll that would qualify us for first call on higher missions, and better time slots in the Hokage's training grounds. All we had to do was win three consecutive matches against our classmates. Itachi had won seven, thoroughly proving a point that had long since been made.

So of course my first match would be against the boy that had asked me to _marry him_ last week...in front of the entire class.

As if the initial embarrassment wasn't bad enough, the story spread like wildfire and soon the entire academy was talking about my epic refusal. All the girls hated me anyway, ever since Wakana graduated early at her own Advanced opportunity test, I'd lost my only ally among my own gender. I could feel their eyes on me now, my back burned with their spite. Because Itachi certainly hadn't gotten _less _desirable over the years. Apparently.

The boys had to push Kenji out onto the field. And I'm sure it was because of more than his colossally embarrassing screw up. I was a force to be feared in our class, second only to Itachi Uchiha, who they'd nicknamed 'Kamaitachi'. The name still burned me up.

I was the only one he wouldn't fight, and the one that everyone else dreaded. They didn't have a nickname for me because I wasn't particularly violent on the battlefield, just dreadfully efficient.

"Shake hands." Kohaku-Sensei almost seemed to get some sick pleasure out of the uncomfortable expressions on Kenji and I's faces as we drew closer. The boy wasn't anything special, but he'd had a crush on me for a while now without my knowledge, and I'd been unknowingly encouraging him every time his family came over to eat with mine. I felt like an idiot for it, and now my father's job might be in jeopardy if Kenji decided to get petty and tell his daddy about my rejection. But, he didn't really strike me as that kind of guy.

He reached out a shuddering hand, and I took it quickly, giving it a little shake and then stepping back. His face colored, and then paled when our teacher blew the whistle to begin.

"Just get it over with already…" He muttered, shutting his eyes and clenching his fists.

I blinked a few times, "Why...didn't you just 'pass'? If you're not gonna fight back what's the point of even being down here?"

He cracked one eye open and brushed a few locks of his greasy black hair out of his eyes, "Because...well...the other guys wouldn't let me stay in the stands. And I just couldn't stand the way the girls were laughing at me. So...like I said, just do it quick."

I scowled and brought my fists up, "Just fight me you idiot. Scrape up what little dignity you have left and go down like a man."

"Easy for you to say when you're _Kamaitachi's_ pet…" He grumbled.

That was it.

I hauled back and slugged him as hard as I could. For a moment I had the satisfaction of seeing that stupid smile vanish under my fist. And then the triumph turned to confusion when he disappeared in a puff of smoke, a log that was splintering from the force of the blow taking his place.

I whipped around at the sound of his, "Ha!" from across the field. Just in time to drop to the ground and avoid the storm of shuriken racing towards me.

What the hell? I blinked a few times and then looked down among the shocked laughter from the stands, and the cheering in Kenji's favor. It was then I noticed that I was crouching on top of an explosive tag.

I saw Sensei's eyes widen just as the tag detonated.

We weren't allowed to use full tags in sparring matches. Just smoke tags to imitate the explosions. But this one was definitely genuine, I could see it from the markings as they began to glow red and burn. In a flash of light, the words on the tag ignited and it blasted me up into the air.

The last thing I saw was a malicious smile on Kenji's face, accented by dark circles under his eyes and a twitch in his jaw. I had to be fighting the crazy one.

But with the splash of water, there was no pain, and I was drifting a few inches above the ground. Kenji's smile faded, and he started to look around wildly. I was gone from his plane of existence, not even splattered remains from the explosion to satisfy him. In my world, there was no smoke, no flames, only slow currents and the trickle of bubbles in my ear. The smoke bathed the arena in a shroud that cut off the view from the other students as flames licked across the stadium floor. The only eyes that could pierce the smoke were red and burning, locked on to Kenji Hashimoto.

The cheering in the crowd abruptly cut off when the tag exploded, and turned to cries of horror as the training ground was bathed in flames from the huge detonation. Any other student would be dead. But I just happened to have my own little world to hide in. One that was rapidly draining my chakra; I needed to do something fast.

While I collected myself, I plucked at the tattered remains of my jumper around the small area the blast had managed to touch before I jumped worlds. That asshole tried to kill me! I sent out a pulse, and a raging current of water slammed into me, sending me flying towards Kenji. At the last moment it snapped up, sending me above him, and then pushed back down. The space above his head became blurry, like looking up at the surface of a lake from far underwater.

In a second I came rocketing out of nowhere, soaking wet with a ragged hole in my jumper, leaving my stomach bare, and torn open in several spots to show the bleeding muscle underneath. Kenji had just enough time to look up before I was on him. I flipped in midair and grabbed his shoulders, using my momentum to bend into a front flip.

He screamed bloody murder as my fingers dug into his shoulders, and I slammed him into the ground, face first.

Kenji'd gathered enough chakra around his skull to protect himself at the last moment. But not enough to keep him conscious, or his nose intact.

When the smoke cleared, his head was laying in a jagged hole it'd punched in the rocky ground, rubble surrounding him. The class was silent.

The wave of lethargy hit me just as Sensei appeared. I wobbled a bit and he caught my arm, his eyes riveted on the blood pouring from the wounds on my stomach, "Hold still." He knelt down next to me and placed his hands to hover just above the wounds. They closed swiftly as he poured much of his own chakra in. I supposed he was over healing them due to the severity of the situation. As soon as he was done, he turned to Kenji.

While Sensei turned over the unconscious boy, the crowd erupted with loud debate. Accusations, statements of disbelief, and the choosing of sides were unabashedly shouted to echo around the stadium.

But my eyes slipped up above the clamoring children, up to where the Hokage and his advisors sat behind a wall of one way glass. I couldn't see them, but I knew they saw me. Standing bloody and triumphant. It felt good. I felt strong, I felt…

I tipped forward violently and vomited, my hands slapping over the ragged scars on my stomach.

"It's alright, Mayu." Itachi appeared at my side, one arm wrapping over mine around my middle, and the other patting my back, "Get it all out." His voice was like a rivers wave, lapping gently against the shore. It was calm and collected even now when I knew his red eyes were probably burning a hole in the back of Kenji's shirt as Sensei hauled him to his feet.

"Come with me, Uchiha." Kohaku said grimly, "Carry her, we'll need to get the two of them to the bench room."

Itachi nodded without argument, and after confirming I was finished heaving, scooped me up into his arms.

Two other chunin suddenly appeared at Sensei's side as he carried Kenji across the training field. One was a nervous looking girl with pigtails, she glanced back at me and then said quietly to Kohaku, "The parents have been called."

The other chunin, a big man with tattoos running up and down his bare arms muttered, "A few medic-nin are on standby in the bench room, as well."

"Good on both counts." Kohaku said with a scowl, "This is going to be a shit storm."

And then I was out.

* * *

><p>"<em>Itachi, your father was...he wasn't in his right mind-"<em>

"_He was drunk." Itachi said flatly. I stood a few paces behind him, frightened both at what he'd told me had taken place three days ago, and at the unnatural coldness in his voice. I peeked around him and saw Mikoto had tears in her eyes, holding Sasuke close. The boy was napping peacefully against his mother's chest, unaware of the red eyed gaze his brother cast over them both. _

"_...Yes." Mikoto said quietly, "But you must forgive him. He has been under so much pressure from the village; they are pushing us further and further out! Your father has to act as the bridge between the wants and needs of the Uchiha and the balance of the village with the police force. He is only human-"_

"_My father was angry because the Uchiha have not yet taken their 'rightful place' in control of Konohagakure." He hissed, his hands twitching towards fists, but relaxing just as quickly, "And instead of face his failings as a clan head and a man, he took it out on his own son."_

_I reached out to touch Itachi's sleeve, "Itachi...maybe we should go." _

"_Not yet. Mayu." He said evenly. His voice held neither sharpness or bite in the words, but I fell silent instantly, all the same, "I wish to hear if Mother can defend his actions."_

_The woman was silent, her mouth screwing up, the tears threatening to push past the corners of her eyes. _

_Itachi waited a moment longer, then looked down at his feet. His voice was barely a whisper, "I didn't think so." He looked back up, his eyes black as night, "We're going to school now. But you can give this to father when he wakes up." Itachi held out a piece of paper. _

_It took her a moment, but Mikoto slowly reached out and took it. She looked at it for a second, and then her eyes widened. _

"_Perfect...Ten matches in a row without a scratch?" She whispered, her eyes snapping back up to Itachi's retreating form, "Itachi, what is this?"_

"_A peace treaty with father." He paused in the doorway, while I was already several steps ahead of him, "I'm not angry. And maybe this will ease his troubled mind as well. I'll be home after dinner, Mayu-chan's mother has invited me to eat with them." He shut the door behind him, cutting off his mother's response._

* * *

><p>I was only out for a minute or two. My vision came swimming back when Itachi laid me down on the cot.<p>

I watched blearily as several medic-nin popped into my field of sight. They poked and prodded Kohaku's shoddy heal site. The man had about three months of medic training before he'd dropped out of the program to become a full fledged chunin. Thus his healing job was equivalent to that of a four year old mashing together two chunks of playdough.

Itachi settled on a bench a little ways away from us, his eyes lingering on me for a moment, then zipping around the room. They were black now, but I knew they didn't miss a thing. When they settled on to another point out of my sight, it was obvious by his minute shift in expression that he was watching Kenji.

"...would've been better if he'd just waited…" one of the nin above me was grumbling, "...we can do about those scars...going to….stomach…..poor thing…" Their voices kept chiming in and out, like radio static.

"..was so long...be a shame to cut….going to burn through…"

I fell back into unconsciousness with the crisp snipping of scissors making a steady beat in my ears.

* * *

><p>"<em>He's so scary. I've heard some kids from class four are calling him 'Kamaitachi', and I think it fits him just fine." <em>

_I stopped in my tracks outside the empty classroom door. The laughter of a few boys from our class drifted out._

"_No idea what happened to him. But did you see what he did to Raichi? Just about blew his head off!"_

"_He's an Uchiha, what do you expect? They're all a bunch of crazy murderers. Just last week, my dad told me an Uchiha held up old man Gamachu's store. His eyes were like laser beams, and he destroyed the whole place!"_

"_I thought Gamachu's just caught on fire," another voice mumbled in shock, "I had no idea an Uchiha was behind it."_

"_Of course not! The Hokage is trying to keep it quiet, because so many people hate them already that they'd knock down the gates to their stupid compound. 'Course we don't want that to happen, because they'd come running out like ants, and burn down the village with their laser eyes!"_

_I'd had enough, I opened the door and gripped the handle so tight it hurt my hand, "Hey! None of that is true! Gamachu's store burned down on its own; and the sharingan doesn't give you laser eyes!"_

_The boys looked over at me with wide eyes, "Oh well if it isn't little Mayu-chan! Careful guys, she's gonna be one of Kamaitachi's wives when he takes over the Uchiha Yakuza syndicate!"_

_I couldn't believe my ears, the absolute absurdity caught me off guard enough that the boy who'd said it was on the ground in a second, clutching his face in shock as his nose started to bleed._

"_Stop lying! Why are you saying things like that?" I snarled, clutching my shaking fist. My hand hurt so badly I felt like crying, but I was mad enough that it didn't even matter. _

"_She's just as crazy as they are!" One of the boys screeched, hauling his friend off the ground, "Let's get out of here before Kamaitachi comes in and kills us with his laser eyes!" They ran from the room laughing and blowing raspberries. _

"_Stop __**calling **__him that!" I shouted after them, running to catch myself in the doorway just in time to see them round the corner. I was left alone in the empty hallway, seething, with tears clouding my eyes._

* * *

><p>"Mayu sweetie? Mayu- Katsuo I think she's waking up!"<p>

My eyes fluttered open after what felt like seconds since the medics were hovering over me. But instead it was my mother's dark hair creating a curtain between us and the rest of the world. I was reminded of the day after the kyuubi attack, when she held my hand until I woke.

"Mayu!" My father's face swam into view, his orange hair tinted the slightest grey around his temples, his bright blue eyes shone with worry, "Oh thank Kami you're awake, my little evening star."

I looked around, and was surprised to see my own room. The walls were decorated with drawings, sketches and paintings I'd done over the years. Most of them were of the flower field Itachi and I trained in. Others were of Itachi himself from every angle. There were a few of Wakana and even one of Mizuki thrown in there. Older ones of Shisui hung near the bottom, but I hadn't seen him very much lately, so his presence was a noticed absence on the wall.

My mother and father were sitting on the side of my bed, and I saw that they'd dressed me in pajamas already. The window's blinds were closed, so that meant it was already night time. I'd been out that long?

"The doctors gave you some medicine to make you sleep, sweetie." Mother said, like she was reading my mind, "They said it would help your stomach heal a little nicer."

I glanced down at the covers over my belly, and then back up. That was for later.

"What happened to Kenji," I said with a scowl, "did the police come and get him? Is he going to go to jail for what he did?"

My parents glanced at each other, then my father put his hand over mine, "Honey, what Kenji did was an accident. He said he had no idea that tag was a real explosive one. But…" He sighed, his expression weary, "he is suspended from school, if that helps."

"He tried to kill me!" I shrieked, shocking the both of them into backing up, "That little shit tried to blow me up for refusing to marry him! And he get's _suspended_?"

"Language, Mayu." My mother said sadly, but sternly enough to shut me up.

"Look...it was an honest mistake." My father shrugged, "He said he was getting his supplies from his older brother's room, and he grabbed the wrong tags. The suspension is to make sure he learns his lesson, and get's the right supplies next time."

All I could see was Kenji's twisted little grin, on his _stupid _face, watching as the tag sent me up into the air, ripping into my stomach. If they tried to tell me that wasn't planned one more time…

But I knew another person who'd seen the truth.

"Where's Itachi?" I said flatly, "I want to talk to him."

My mother sighed, "He was here all day, and most of the night, but his parents came to pick him up just half an hour ago. I'm sorry sweetie. But I'm sure you'll see him tomorrow. He said he'd be by."

Soon, my parents left me alone, as they could tell I'd fallen into a mood that no amount of coddling would pull me from. I stared at the sketches on my wall, my brow crinkled in anger for a good long time. I just could not believe they were letting him go for trying to kill me. But, in his defense, if he hadn't been strong enough to protect himself; that last move I pulled on him would have crushed his skull.

Not that it made his attempted murder _right_. But I did feel a little more satisfied.

* * *

><p><strong>Kamaitachi- literally means "sickle weasel." There are three of them, sometimes brothers, sometimes triplets, who go around cutting off people's legs. The first weasel knocks someone down, the second cuts off the legs, and the third sews up the wounds. They move so fast basically people blink and then suddenly realize they no longer have legs.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**I am a fan of this chapter. Now don't forget about Kenji, kids, we won't see him for a while...but he'll be back *evil cackling ensues* **

**Anyways, enjoy! And please let me know what you think!**

**-Ms.P**

* * *

><p>The sun had barely risen when the tapping started at my window.<p>

A pebble bounced against the wooden cross beams, jerking me from my fitful sleep. I looked blearily around for a moment, my room was bathed in the pinks and soft yellows of dawn, navy shadows tucked away into their corners to avoid the steady light. I blinked a few times and yawned, thinking I might have been hearing things, until the second pebble made a solid little 'thok!', bouncing off the wood once more.

I flung the comforter off and touched my feet experimentally against the ground. Today my body felt much better, despite the shoddy healing job on my stomach; the wounds had been mostly superficial. The scars would be grisly, but I was never one for bikinis anyways.

For some reason, I felt lighter. I attributed it to a long sleep and medication with a shrug, and padded over to the window.

There was a figure down in the street. They wore a black flak jacket to ward off the september chill, with grey sweat pants and sandals. I smiled a bit, those were the sweatpants I bought him for his birthday a few months back, because I was so tired of his capris/ bandages combo.

"You're rather early, Uchiha-samma." I opened the window and leaned on the sill, smiling down at him.

A wry grin turned his lips, and he took a hand from his pocket, motioning for me to step back.

"What, we don't use doors anymore?" I smirked as he landed easily on the sill, squatting there and narrowing those unreadable eyes at me. He seemed to be appraising me, and tilted his head to the side.

"You know, I didn't think I'd like it; but it suits you. Makes you look…" he searched for a moment, trying to think of the right word, "edgy…"

My brows furrowed and I gave him a confused little laugh, "Edgy? What? You can't even see the scars." I tugged on my t-shirt.

Realization bloomed across his features, and he slowly crawled down off the ledge. He seemed to keep a distance from me now, and pushed his hands back into his pockets, "Ah. You've not seen it then."

"Seen _what_?" I said, my eyes widening, "Did they do something to my face? What happened?"

Itachi took a deep breath and then gestured to the mirror on the other side of my room. I glanced that way, then back at him. But his eyes were now firmly glued to the floor like he was battening down the hatches for a storm.

"The explosive tag had some kind of acid in it. Most of the observers missed it, as it dissipated quickly after dispersal...but...some of it was left over, and they found it when they started healing the wounds on your stomach." I walked slowly over to the mirror, coming into its view to see a stranger. I looked at the person in the reflection, and soon realized it was me. The eyes were the same, a light brown bordering on hazel, the skin was too, if not a little paler with the medication. But…

"_My_..._**hair…**_" My hands came up to my head, shaking. There was nothing there. My hair had been approaching my knees, I'd let it continue uncut for so many years that Itachi braiding it in the morning had become an integral part of my daily ritual. And now...now it was sheared off. It wasn't even a boy cut, I was _bald_. There was an uneven buzz cut all around my head, leaving some chunks just centimeters longer than the rest to the point that it looked like I'd just recently escaped from an asylum.

"The acid would have started burning away your scalp if they hadn't cut it. Turns out water makes it spread faster," Itachi said quietly, "They tried to save some of your hair but it was spreading too quickly, and once they'd cut enough away, your hair was horribly uneven and jagged. One of the women tried to fix it, but in the end they had to buzz it off." He shifted uneasily, "trust me, it's better this way."

My fingers made contact with the little brown tufts blooming around my temples and I shuddered. Itachi noticed and his lips tightened into a thin line. He came over and stood behind me in the mirror, setting his hands on my shoulders. His eyes met mine in the reflection, "You are still the prettiest girl in the whole village, Mayu. No contest."

I let out a shaky laugh, unable to keep it from bubbling up in my chest, "Oh, is there a girl in Kumo I should be worried about?"

Itachi smirked and gave my shoulder a little squeeze before stepping back, "I've never been there, but once I get a good look around I'll be sure to tell you what I think."

I wandered back over to my bed and plopped down, grabbing the pillow and holding it to my chest. One hand kept wandering back up to my head, unable to fathom the absence of the _mass _of hair I'd built up. Itachi watched me for a moment, his expression sympathetic, before following and sitting carefully next to me.

"Father told me that Kenji got suspended," I spat, my cheeks heating indignation, "for trying to kill me!"

Itachi frowned, looking down at his feet. They almost touched the floor now, as he sprouted up further each year, "There's nothing we can do in this situation. The Hokage saw what happened, and I doubt someone who sabotages a classmate this early on will be allowed to graduate."

I snorted, tempted to list off the staggering number of questionable nin that'd been passed through the Academy system. But I knew Itachi had spent much of his time in the library of Konoha recently, researching all about the village, and its history. He'd become quite attached, just like in the original story. It was disconcerting, and I couldn't help thinking that the night I'd left him to go with Jiraiya had negated all the hard work I'd done.

The only consolation I had was that his timeline had already irreversibly changed. If it were the original, he would be inducted into ANBU by now, and training in deadly routines meant for adults. Granted, with the unbelievable jumps in power he'd made in these last three years; he probably still _could_. But the fact that he _wasn't _meant something.

"Someone made an attempt on my life, and I'm just expected to sit here, while he gets nothing more than a slap on the wrist?" I growled, avoiding the gaze I felt lingering on the side of my head.

"Yes, you are." Itachi said evenly. I looked over at him with wide eyes, and almost drew back in surprise.

His tone did not match his eyes. They were lit up red and burning, and his fists were clenched into the sheets. But when he spoke, his voice was deceptively calm, "Don't think you are the only one who wishes to take action. The difference though, is that I know nothing we do will end well." He shut his eyes hard, his brows furrowing. When he'd relaxed marginally, they opened again and were back to a placid black.

"Wars between children are rarely acknowledged." I said, mostly to myself, glaring down at the plaid patterned sweats I wore. Itachi reached over and held my hand in his,

"Come on, let's go get breakfast, I smell tamagoyaki." I had to resist a smile, Itachi had a nose for food, that was for sure. Whenever Mother was cooking it was never long till he crept into the kitchen to watch, and be first served in his excitement.

It was cute.

* * *

><p>I was dreading school, even with the thick knit skull cap mom had given to me. I knew everyone would notice the lack of a huge pile on top of my head like usual. They'd notice Kenji was gone from the class, and they would just <em>whisper <em>the entire time. The penchant for drama these children had was killing me.

When we stepped into the classroom, it went silent.

Itachi cast a warning look around, and several of the braver boys were subdued by the ice in his glare. I followed after him as he went up the steps to our row. No one sat with us anymore since Wakana, Mizuki and Tsubasa had graduated. It was nice to have room, but the rift between us and the rest of the class was practically visible. The only other kids who sat on our side of the room were a few Uchiha, and Dai Akimichi, who reminded me strongly of Naruto with how boisterous he could be. He was an outcast in his clan because of his ridiculous metabolism. The boy ate so much, and so frequently that even Choji would blush, and yet he was still rail thin. He was the butt of many jokes in the class, but he repulsed them often, and loudly.

The class waited patiently for Kohaku-Sensei, with a charged atmosphere that wasn't long dampened by our entrance. Soon everyone was whispering and prattling on excitedly about team selection today. Not everyone in the class would be paired with others from our same group, as the Advanced class was much smaller than its sister group, Class three.

At this point, I wasn't sure I'd graduate up top, as many of the others felt similarly. I wasn't there for the rest of the matches, but I'd only fought one. It wasn't unheard of to graduate with less than the preferred number of fights under your belt; the odds of being placed in a team with those who _had _was much slimmer, however. And I desperately wanted to be on the same team with Itachi. I'd fight for it if I had to, 'and be plenty ready for explosives, this time,' I thought angrily.

After all the waiting, the class was just about ready to burst, so it was impossible to mute their shock when instead of Kohaku-Sensei, the one who walked through the door was none other than the Third Hokage himself, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Good morning, everyone." He said among gasps and cries of surprise.

There was a second where everyone had to gather their thoughts, and then the class chimed back, "Good morning Hokage-sama."

The Hokage smiled, his cane tapping against the ground as he wandered over to Kohaku's desk. Several ANBU filed in behind him, their masks painted to look like all kinds of different animals. They lined up along either side of the great man, ready if anyone should try and infiltrate the room.

"So, I hear today is your last day as Academy students," the Hokage said with a smile, pulling a scroll from his pocket and waving it around a bit, "the matches yesterday were quite impressive, after all. I see a grand amount of potential in this group to become valued members of our Shinobi forces."

Everyone shuffled and whispered among themselves, wondering why Kohaku-sensei wasn't the one telling us all this.

"Your teacher, Kohaku Umbi, has been assigned a mission of utmost importance, and won't be back for several weeks, so it looks like I will be the one to read you his assigned teams. Aren't you all excited?"

The class obediently chirped back, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

He chuckled and gestured to the ANBU around the room, "Three of the teams listed today will consist of all Advanced Class students, and will be assigned one of these A-rank ANBU as your sensei. It is a privilege to learn under our villages' most talented Shinobi, and I expect the teams will not discount that great honor."

The whispering rose to a fever pitch for just a moment, everyone in the class beyond excited to be working under Konoha's top agents. But it cut off abruptly when the Hokage broke the seal on the scroll, and began to unroll it.

"The teams are listed from highest to lowest rank. Yesterday each of you were evaluated in your matches according to your knowledge and application of Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Intelligence, force, speed, and stamina. None of these traits are more important than the others, but exceptional scores in one or all of them will set you above the rest of your classmates.

"So, without further ado, Team One, composed of the most promising and remarkable of your peers;" The Hokage paused, no doubt for dramatic effect, and the whole class was nearly vibrating with anticipation,

"Uchiha Itachi," I could feel the collective eye roll from every single person in the class, even the girls who had crushes on him. It was so obvious; but Itachi had the grace to look mildly surprised. He stood from his seat and walked down to one of the ANBU who was waiting with a scroll diploma, and hitai-ate. The young Uchiha bowed deeply and accepted both, the Anbu gave him a little bow in return, and watched as he returned to his seat before plucking the next forehead protector and diploma from their box full of them.

"The second member of Team One," The Hokage said, the attention of the class snapping back to him, "Is Akimichi Dai."

The ripple of shock that went through the class manifested in eye popping and jaw dropping. Every one nearly snapped their necks to turn and look at the smug Akimichi boy. He jumped up from his seat, pulling at his puffy shorts and wind breaker before practically prancing down the steps,

"Of course it's me! There's no one better!" He sang, coming to a stop in front of the same ANBU and snatching the hitai-ate to tie it around his neck. He took the diploma and turned around, spreading his legs and striking a pose in front of the entire class, "Who's laughing now, huh? I'm better than all you losers! So take it and shove it-"

"That'll be enough, Akimichi-kun." The Hokage said with a disapproving frown. Dai turned and tossed him a grin before bowing slightly and skipping back up the stairs. But he hung a right before his row, walked past me and plopped down next to Itachi, who looked entirely bored with the whole affair.

"What's up, _partner_?" Dai said with a huge grin, the spirals painted on his cheeks bunched up and went nearly into his temple hairline with how happy he'd become. Itachi gave him a small nod, but was entirely distracted as the Hokage prepared to announce the last member of the strongest team in a generation.

"The third and final member of team one was not chosen lightly. Many of you showed great skill and latent talent, waiting to be cultivated. Our decision had to be based on not only that strength, but also on team symbiosis," He paused and smiled, "For a team to be truly strong, they must work together as a cohesive unit, so the last member was chosen carefully for their strength, resolve, and matching personality traits."

I held my breath and closed my eyes, this was my last chance. I absolutely had to make it on to this team, I couldn't be left behind from itachi, not when the Uchiha coup was so close at hand. I _had _to make it!

"Kobayashi Mayu, please come forward."

Every girl in the class groaned and thumped their fists against their desks, while the boys threw me knowing grins and made kissy faces. But when an ANBU turned their way and made a slicing motion with their hand, they paled and sat low in their seats. I threw a thankful smile to the blank masked ANBU in question, and they gave me the tiniest nod in return.

At first, all I could feel was relief. That everything I'd been working so hard for since I first became conscious of this world wasn't for nothing. Itachi was graduating the Academy at eleven years old, with years of genin missions and the chunin exams to come. He was quieter now, and just as strong as he'd become in the manga, but he was slowed down to a sane pace. His father had alienated him, and driven him away from the Uchiha compound. He would get to see the world through eyes untainted by the seeds of revenge and darkness that his father would plant within him in grooming him to take over the clan some day. And this would change, everything.

"Thank you." I said quietly, my voice trembling with emotion as I took the hitai-ate from the gloved ANBU. I caught the Hokage's eye and he winked.

"I expect great things from your team, Kobayashi-san. I trust you will keep those boys in line?"

I pulled at my hat self-consciously, and nodded fervently, "Of course, Hokage-sama."

"Good," he smiled and motioned for me to return to my seat. I turned around and was greeted with two radiant smiles. Dai was standing in his chair waving and hooting, and Itachi was silently laughing, covering his mouth with his hand at the outrageous teammate we'd been paired with. But I saw happiness sparkling in those eyes of his. And my heart beat just a little faster.

"Teams two and three were announced with less fanfare, with the rest of the class disappointed in missing out on the advanced team placement. And soon, the Hokage called forward three of the masked, cloaked ANBU agents.

"From today on, you shed your cloaks and reveal your faces. You leave the service of Root ,and dedicate yourself to the tutelage of these young shinobi. You will foremost serve the Hokage, and Konohagakure, but your heart will belong to these children of yours. You will protect them, and teach them until the chunin exams. And after they've chosen their own paths you will remain their mentor, until a new team is passed to you, and your oath renewed. Are the conditions of your service understood, ANBU agents?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The ANBU agents all thumped gloved hands over their hearts and sunk down onto one knee.

The Hokage walked around in front of them, the class riveted into silence at the formality and seriousness of the unmasking ceremony. One by one, he took down their hoods and they unclasped their cloaks. The material fluttered down to pool around their feet. The Hokage took a step back, and leaned on his cane,

"Remove your masks."

Simultaneously, the ANBU reached up with their right hands and held the front of their masks, with their left, they pulled the straps up and over the skin tight caps they wore to conceal their hair.

Down the masks went. And three revealed shinobi stood before the class. An ANBU revealing their identity in removing their mask was a sacred ceremony, for utmost secrecy was necessary in the organization of Root. If a mask came off in combat, the ANBU would be discharged and sent into another branch of shinobi service, unable to serve with a compromised identity.

"State your names." The Hokage stepped to the side so the class could get a good look at the three faces. Two were men, and one a woman. One of the men had skin so dark it looked like the night time sky, and piercing blue eyes. The other was thin, with soft brown eyes and a face prone to smiling. And the woman was a Hyuga, her pale eyes only accented by the half dozen scars that ran the length of her face, and pulled her mouth into a permanent grimace.

"Isobe Nobuo." The dark man said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Teruda Jun." The smiling man waved a hand at the class.

"Katsumi Hyuga." The woman said, her eyes narrowing as they lit on the three of us alone in our row.

The Hokage tapped his cane on the floor, "Team one, your teacher will be Hyuga-Sensei. Team two, Isobe-Sensei, and team three, Teruda-Sensei. The rest of you will be need to follow me to Classroom three to meet your teammates and teachers there. Come along now." With a flourish of robes, the Hokage turned and strode out of the room, the masked ANBU following along after him.

It was silent while the three unmasked shinobi stood stoically at the front of the room and watched the rest of the students file out. I felt a little sorry for team two, Isobe looked rather frightening with his massive build and angry expression. In the end, it had to be Teruda who broke the silence. He coughed into his hand and laughed a little,

"Well, isn't this fun? Team three, how about we go get lunch and we can properly introduce ourselves. My treat." The three children assigned to the mild mannered shinobi burst into grins and nearly jumped over each other to follow him out the door.

"Tch. Damn Jun always trying to show off." Isobe grunted, then turned to the door as well, "Let's go team two, we don't have time to sit around. We'll introduce ourselves on the training ground." The all boy team pumped their fists and followed him, looking ready for a fight.

And then the room was empty, save the three new genin and our Sensei.


	12. Chapter 12

**I am so freaking excited for these next few chapters, you do not even understand. Well-you might. But still, it's gonna be so good. My muse has been firing all pistons for days now...and I'm not going to lie, my school work has suffered slightly. I'm going to have to take some time to get my homework in order along with my two jobs. So this will likely be the last day of 'OMG three chapter updates in ONE DAY!?' because as much as I'd like to throw everything else to the wind and let my muse rampage around, destroying my life but building a beautiful fic from the ashes; it's just not practical.**

**So please, enjoy this chapter, and let me know what you think of the story so far!**

**-Ms.P**

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><p>I fell to my knees; my heart was hammering so hard against my rib cage, I felt it might break. My lungs burned as I tried to take in air faster to alieve the stifling sensation of suffocation at this high altitude. My legs burned, and I knew I wouldn't get back up again.<p>

"_Itachi...go...on without me_…" I gasped, clutching my chest, "_Its over for me...Just...remember me wherever you go...remember the Moon Kingdom._"

Itachi jogged to a stop beside me and raised an eyebrow. He ran in place, jumping from one foot to the other in his worn out sneakers and gym shorts, "Mayu, stop being so dramatic. We are only on lap seventy five out of two hundred; you're going to have to get up before Sensei catches you."

I whined from my position from the ground, pulling at my athletic tank top in the stifling heat, "Katsumi-Sensei is a cruel, unfeeling woman."

The Uchiha chuckled, and stopped his insesent prancing, holding out a hand to me, "Come on, get up before she gives us a hundred _more _laps. You remember what happened to Dai, don't you?"

I grabbed his sweaty hand in mine and he yanked me up to my feet. But I tripped one step too far and ended up thumping against his chest. His arms circled around me to keep me from falling further, and our faces ended up inches apart. I could feel his fast beating heart right next to mine.

"Haha, careful there." He coughed, and backed up a step, holding me at arms length.

My face was burning as I dusted myself off, "Yeah. Um, suddenly I'm not so tired anymore. Let's go." I started jogging again, pulling a little ahead of him before he caught up a few paces later.

We ran side by side through the sparse forest, relishing what little shade we could stick to along the harsh mountain trail. From this vantage point we could see Konoha far below, going peacefully about its day with all the hustle and bustle a shinobi village could muster. A little further beyond were the lush farming fields of flowers and food, outlined by the towering forest on the horizon.

The view was great, sure. But running two hundred laps through a jagged mountain trail was something I'd not thought humanly possible. Until I met Katsumi Hyuga.

The day she became our sensei, after the stressful team sorting, was full of awkward silences and disapproving frowns. Katsumi-Sensei was the epitome of no-nonsense. We'd left the Academy in a military style march, headed straight for the wall of the village and gone directly out into the woods. Apparently Sensei didn't believe in formal training fields; she said they would make you soft, and used to all the conveniences of home in real combat situations. So that very day we sat and meditated for three solid hours under the branches of a denizen of the Jukai- the sea of trees.

That was a good preview for what was to come. Everything was done in the extreme, all through autumn we would practice endless meditation, chakra focus, and taijutsu forms. When winter hit, we trooped right out into the cold of the forest, and were forced to spar on ice. If the ice was thin, then Sensei said it was a good exercise in channeling chakra through our feet. If it was thick, then she said it was a good exercise in balance, and we would be forced to do one hundred pushups if we slipped. Winter gave way to spring, where Sensei would have us wait below cherry trees for a strong wind to blow, and when it did we were to pin every single blossom that fell with senbon. For every one we missed, we had to run ten laps around the entire village.

It was brutal, and I thought I would die; every bit of science and physics I'd learned in my world told me what we were forcing our bodies to do was not possible. And yet, I got up every day and did it again; sore, and hurting, but certainly not experiencing the onset of muscle deterioration. Something about the chakra in this world kept me going, and while that was an exhilarating thought, it didn't make me want to see Katsumi-Sensei's _cheerful _countenance any more.

Now it was summer, just a month after Itachi's twelfth birthday. He was looking more like an adult with each passing day, and had long surpassed me in height. His eyes were getting stronger as well. It was easy to see with every time he and Dai sparred together; half the time the poor Akimichi boy would get locked in a genjutsu before he could even take a breath. On the upside, Dai was now the most proficient among us at recognizing genjutsu, and breaking them.

I brushed my ruffled hair out of my eyes; it was almost past my ears now and at a length that I could do absolutely nothing with. I just had a constant bed head that I tried to hide under my hitai-ate cap, but it usually crept out, strand by strand no matter what I did. Itachi of course had no such problems, now that his hair touched between his shoulder blades and he had me tie it back nice and tidy every day. The only one that might understand my struggle was Dai, whose hair was a new level of crazy; it stuck up in every direction and curled where it shouldn't to mold into some frizzy brown blob on the top of his head.

Speaking of Dai. Itachi and I rounded the bend for the final incline. Puffing up that awful hill, we came to the very top of the mountain, which was a space with an area of about nine yards. It'd been carved by some ancient taijutsu master into a flat slab and a perfect spot for meditation. Here, Katsumi-Sensei sat, legs folded in the lotus position. Her eyes were wide open, and the blue veins around them were bright and visible under the delicate skin. She was no doubt focusing in on the village, miles away to practice her range of sight. Last week, she told us she read a book over a man's shoulder for nearly an hour, from this distance.

Next to our teacher, was Dai. He was upside down, one finger all that was holding him away from the ground. He was sweating even in his threadbare white tank top and short gym shorts; we could see the sweat droplets puddling around his finger, which couldn't be making it easier to balance.

Yes, that was revealed to be Katsumi-Sensei's punishment for stopping during laps; one hundred extra for everyone else still running, and for the person who dropped out, a one fingered hand stand for as long as it took your teammates to finish the run. Of course she'd told us this only _after _we'd already started.

"Glad to see you up and about, Mayu." Katsumi didn't bother looking at us, "Since Itachi was such a good teammate and helped you up rather quickly, you can still run and he won't be punished. But for stopping, Mayu, you have fifty extra laps once you and Itachi finish the two hundred. And I'd suggest you speed it up; Dai here doesn't look like he'll last much longer," She didn't even blink, "And if he falls, you two get an extra three hundred laps, and he has to start all over."

My mind was boggled by the numbers, but I knew we had to hurry, so we started to race down the mountainside, but before we got far, Katsumi called after us, "Why don't I give you some incentive?"

There was a poof of smoke, and suddenly four shadow clones of Sensei were standing behind us. They brought their fingers up into a handsign, and their features morphed into that of black hooded enemy nin.

"Let's play tag; you two will run faster, and if these enemy Shinobi catch you, you're dead. Simple enough and everyone get's to go home early, one way or another."

I withheld a scream as the clones flashed after us. Katsumi-Sensei never told us whether she was serious when she threatened us, and we never found out. I didn't want today to be that day.

Dai screamed after us, his voice rough from the blood rushing to his head, "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME GUYS! I'VE GOT THIS!"

"Ten extra minutes for yelling; you're disrupting my meditation."

"AUGH. HURRY GUYS, FOR THE LOVE OF KAMI, _HURRY_!"

Itachi was like a human shadow; as we'd long given up actually running and were instead vaulting through the trees. He slipped from one branch to the next with an inhuman grace. His eyes were burning with the sharingan and I saw him grit his teeth around the one-hundred and thirtieth lap. I could tell he was starting to wear thin. And the clones behind us looked like they could go all day.

On the last lap, they picked up the pace.

I landed on a branch, getting read to jump again when a kunai embedded itself in the tree bark right next to my head,

"They're using ranged tactics now, Itachi!" I shrieked. He nodded and flipped over in midair, his tanto flashing and the sharp sound of steel on steel barking out when he deflected several shuriken.

We ran even faster, jumping from branch to branch like flashes of sunlight on a cloudy day. But the finish line seemed farther away than ever on the home stretch. The clones had also picked up their game, throwing shuriken and senbon at us when we were in midair more often than branch time. One caught me right on a pressure point in my calf, and I knew the clones were using the byakugan. A part of me screamed out at the injustice, and then another smaller part reminded me that Sensei never specifically said we couldn't use jutsu.

I heard a hiss, and looked over to see Itachi gasping against a tree limb with a kunai buried in his left shoulder. The nin were coming fast and my mind went blank.

With a splash, I was next to him, pulling him into my water world just as several chakra covered senbon smashed into the tree where he'd stood. His eyes went wide in shock and storm of bubbles came from his lips. He didn't have time to hold his breath so I had to do this fast.

The water current whipped up around us as the enemy nin narrowed their eyes, trying to search for us. The byakugan would see us quicker than the sharingan, which gave us a very limited head start. The current washed us through the forest, and Itachi and I had to paddle hard to keep away from tree branches that nearly clothes-lined us several times. My chakra was running out quicker than sand draining through an hourglass.

Like a river running skywards, the current was blasting us towards the mountain top. I looked behind; the enemy nin definitely couldn't see us, but I knew they would notice a blurry shape in the far distance and follow that.

With my handsign, the second portal opened up in front of us, and Itachi and I came tumbling out onto the stone platform, ramming into Dai and rolling to the very edge where we likely would have fallen to our deaths if Sensei didn't grab the back of Itachi's t-shirt. He made a gagging sound as it constricted around his neck, and held onto me tightly as I started to tip into the open air. Likewise Dai hung on for dear life to the sneaker that was starting to slip off my foot.

Katsumi looked at us long and hard for a moment, the only sound was Dai's little cries of horror at the sheer cliff side below his dangling feet, and Itachi's choking. For a second, I thought those horrible pale eyes were the last thing I'd ever see. But then, miraculously, she yanked Itachi backwards with a violent cough from the Uchiha, and the rest of us rolled back on to the platform.

"That was sloppy, and reckless." She said, standing over us as we panted and bled on the ground, "Those nin all had the byakugan, and you didn't try to wound them once, you just let them come after you. One good shot can dissipate a shadow clone, you know that."

Itachi just gritted his teeth, slapping a hand over the freely bleeding wound on his arm and glaring at the ground. Dai looked like he might start crying, but settled for heaving breaths instead.

But me? I'd had enough.

"You didn't tell us we could kill the clones!" I snapped, struggling to sit up from the pain in my leg; whatever pressure point she'd hit had just about numbed my whole leg at this point, "You didn't tell us we could use jutsu, or that we'd be running for our lives today! You didn't tell us _anything_, you just said 'run'! You _never _give us clear instructions and then you're mad when we fail; it's not _fair_!"

Katsumi was silent for a moment, the veins around her eyes slowly disappearing under the surface of her skin once more. Her gaze could be described as icy at best, but now it was positively glacial.

"You think enemy shinobi will give you clear cut instructions on how to defeat them? You think a man who has taken your teammate hostage will give you directions to his hideout? Do you think an assassin will hand you the recipe for an antidote to what he's just poisoned you with?" She leaned down over me, her nose nearly touching mine, "You have fifty laps left, Kobayashi, I suggest you get started while your friends get back in the Yubiippon position."

Dai tried to sit up as well, "Sensei, Itachi's shoulder is bleeding really bad, I don't think-"

"Quiet, Dai." Itachi grunted, struggling to his feet, "I'm fine, let's just get started."

Under the cold gaze of our teacher, the two boys fought up into the one fingered hand stand once more, panting and letting out little cries of pain every once in a while.

I was so angry, I felt the injustice bubbling up inside like a roaring river. But I knew if I said anything, their punishment would only be made worse, so I limped slowly off the platform, trying to get my footing on the rocky path as all my leg seemed to want to do was tense up further.

"We don't have all day, Kobayashi." Sensei said, crossing her arms. I'd only made it a few yards away from the platform and I skidded several feet down the path when I lost my balance. A lance of pain shot up through my leg, and I yelped, tripping and falling face first into the dirt. Of course, the incline wasn't kind, so I ended up rolling down half the damn mountain before a tree knocked the wind out of me.

I curled around the trunk, furious and hurting, until a shadow came over me,

"Your friends are depending on you, Kobayashi, what are you going to do? Itachi's arm needs medical attention, and Dai could pass out any minute. All you have to do is finish the fifty laps, and you can save them. _What are you going to do_?"

My breathing became a ragged snarl as I pushed away from the tree violently. My back hit water and I floated around Katsumi. Her eyes were perfectly calm, though they didn't follow me. The faster I moved the easier I was to see; so with painful slowness and the lethargy gnawing at my depleted chakra reserves, I positioned myself behind her.

"I'm going to incapacitate the enemy nin holding them hostage! _That's _what I'm going to do!" I burst forward from the water and drove my kunai into her left shoulder blade as hard as I could.

She stumbled forward, and red had just begun to blossom from the metal sticking out of her back when she vanished in a puff of smoke. My eyes widened as a roundhouse kick connected with my rib cage while I was still in the air. I smacked into the tree and slid to the ground to see three clones of my teacher surrounding me.

"I have to wonder how you'll do that when you can't even tell which one is the real me." There was no trace of humor in her words. She lifted her kunai, just in time for a suicidal crow to plow into it; knocking the blade from her hands.

We both whipped around and saw Itachi struggling to stay on his feet, hands locked in a focal sign.

"Sensei, if you work us any harder you'll kill us." He said between gasping breaths. One of his eyes was shut and the other had red veins circling around the iris from the strain.

Katsumi-Sensei looked at Itachi, long and hard. Then, she let out a heavy sigh and shook her head, "Well, you all failed that test rather spectacularly."

I think we were all so tired, and high on adrenaline that her words didn't register for a few seconds. So it was Dai, from his collapsed heap of a position on the ground that spoke up, weakly, "What...are you talking about, Sensei?"

Katsumi put her hands on her hips, after brushing a spec of dirt off her grey flak vest, "The Hokage opened up a low range B-rank mission for one of the Advanced Placement teams, if their Sensei found them worthy of it." She glared around at us, "And I most certainly do not find any of you slugs worthy. I amped up today's training session to see if you could take the stress of a mission snowballing around you, and all you can ask is to quit?" She shook her head, "You can't quit in the middle of a battle, because you're injured or tired. None of you are ready for a B-rank mission, and I doubt you will be until after the chunin exams-next year."

"Next _year_?" I yelped, "I thought you were going to let us enter the one in Suna this December; it's what we've been training for!"

Itachi, who had been silent, finally spoke up, "Why would you try and get us ready for a B-rank mission when we haven't even done a C-rank yet? You're the one always telling us we aren't ready for higher rank missions."

Katsumi flipped her long, prematurely grey hair out of her eyes and sneered over at the bleeding Uchiha, "I've been training you to start with a B-rank all this time, because it would look good on your records. It would get you better C-ranks, all the time, and it would impress the Hokage. I was looking out for your careers. And, I might add, that you are all leagues ahead of any of your peers from the academy, without doing a single C-rank mission. While they've been off risking their lives against unknown factors, I've been readying you to dive in _prepared_."

Dai flipped over, and managed to sit up, "That's such bullshit! We need the experience of missions to prepare us for something like that! We can't just go in with no prior practical knowledge!"

Katsumi narrowed her eyes at us, "...so you want a mission, huh?"

We all nodded.

She stared each one of us down, and then took a long moment before speaking again, "Fine. I will speak to the Hokage tomorrow and get you a high level C-rank. Dismissed." And with that, she clapped her hands together and disappeared. Sensei wasn't even truly with us the _entire _practice.

No one moved, no one even breathed.

Itachi was the first to speak, without moving his lips, "She's probably watching us from somewhere. It could be close by or very, very far. We should just leave silently, before she changes her mind." I knew he was speaking mostly for Dai's benefit, as the boy had opened his mouth wide in preparation to bitch and moan about our monstrous Sensei.

The Akimichi boy's mouth snapped shut like a trap, and he nodded. They both came over to me and helped me stand up, as my leg was rigid as a board now. We limped down the mountain together, Dai shaking like a leaf, Itachi pale from blood-loss, and me without the ability to move one of my legs. Some team we were.

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><p><strong>Have I mentioned how much I love Dai? Argh, I really need to get some art up for him. But..in the mean time, think "Honey" from Ouran Highschool Host Club (yet another Anime I am dragging out of my dark high school years to look at in the light once more...<em>what is happening to me<em>...**


	13. Chapter 13

**This is easily my favorite chapter thus far; mainly because we FINALLY migrate out of that doe eyed silent crush phase Itachi and Mayu had going on...**

**Anywho, set up for later awesome stuff. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

_**Note on food:**_

_**Chanko Nabe  
><strong>_**the traditional staple diet of sumo wrestlers. There are many varieties of chanko nabe, which can be tried at one of the several specialty chanko nabe ****restaurants found around Ryogoku, the sumo district in Tokyo**

_**Tonkatsu  
><strong>_**deep fried pork cutlets. Tonkatsu is usually served accompanied by shredded cabbage or on top of cooked rice (katsudon). It is also a common addition to Japanese style curry rice (katsu kare).**

_**Yakizakana  
><strong>_**means grilled fish. Many varieties of fish are enjoyed in this way, including mackerel (saba), salmon (sake), mackerel pike (sanma), horse mackerel (aji), Okhotsk atka mackerel (hokke), sea bream (tai) and sweetfish (ayu).**

_**Oden  
><strong>_**A nabe dish prepared with various fish cakes, daikon, boiled eggs, konyaku andkombu seaweed, slow simmered in a soy sauce based soup. Oden is a popular dish available at convenience stores in the winter.**

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><p>When we came within sight of the village gates, Dai deemed it safe to speak among the crowds of merchants coming and going,<p>

"I cannot _believe _her." His voice was high and angry as he shuffled along next to me. He was rather short for his age, so a hand around my waist was all the support he could give, but he still managed to complain, "She is crazy! She's crazy, right? I think some mission during her ANBU days screwed her up in the head. She doesn't let us go on missions, when stupid Ebisu is knocking out C-ranks by his second month!"

"Your brother graduated a lot earlier than us." Itachi pointed out, "Protocol has likely changed since then."

"It's been almost a year, and day after day all we do is train! I want some action, and more than stupid D-ranks, since that's all we've been doing. If I have to chase one more stray dog down I'm gonna cook it up and eat it!" Dai growled, and almost synonymously, so did his stomach.

I snorted a laugh, I couldn't help it.

"Let's just get to my place, and get straightened up." Itachi said, his eyes beginning to droop.

We nodded, the Uchiha compound being the closest distance of any houses between us. When we passed through the gates, it was only a few seconds before someone we knew called out,

"Brother? Brother what happened?" Little Sasuke ran over to us full tilt. His dark eyes were wide with concern as he took in our sorry state. Despite not spending much time together, since Sasuke was Fugaku's little pet, Itachi still had a soft spot for his brother that the boy eagerly shared with him.

"Training accident." Itachi mumbled, "Just have to get home."

"I'll get Shisui! He was with mama, eating lunch-he'll help!"

Before we could respond, the little boy went running off into the crowd, pushing past people to get to the Main House which was, only a few yards away.

By the time Sasuke rounded the corner of the kitchen with Shisui in tow, Dai and I already had Itachi sitting at the table, and were half way through bandaging up his arm.

"What happened?" Shisui was close to being a man now, hardly a trace of boyhood left in him. His curly black hair was pushed back behind a forehead protector, and he wore the grey flak armor of the ANBU, with a katana strapped to his back. His eyes looked tired, and world weary even at just fifteen.

"Training accident." Itachi repeated. Dai came back into the room with a glass of water, he dug around in his pocket and brought out an energy powder packet. Mixing it in the glass, he handed it to Itachi, who downed it in a few gulps.

"Ah right, you have crazy Katsumi for a sensei. Sorry to hear that." Shisui said with a worried half-smile.

"Why is she like that?" Dai blurted out, pulling a granola bar from his hip back and digging into it, "Does it have something to do with all the scars on her face?"

"Something like that." Shisui said mysteriously. He came over and took a look at the bindings on Itachi's arm, but the younger Uchiha pulled away from him, his eyes cold,

"My friends took care of it." His voice was flat. Shisui drew back slowly, his expression just as frosty.

"Of course." He turned to me and his countenance warmed fractionally, "I hope you get to feeling better, Mayu-chan," he nodded to Dai, "Akimichi-san." Then bade Sasuke farewell and quickly left the room.

Shisui and Itachi's relationship had soured over the years. Fugaku had tried to replace Itachi with Shisui after it became clear his son wanted nothing to do with the clan, and his inheritance. Shisui claimed his allegiance lay with the village, and the village alone, but no one was very sure of that. He attended every secret Uchiha rally, and shadowed Fugaku wherever he went like a loyal son.

And to say Itachi was bitter about it would be an understatement.

We sat in silence for a little while, Sasuke with us. The boy shimmied around in his seat, clearly wanting to say something but unable to think of a way to do it. I looked at him, wondering at how quickly he'd grown. It seemed like just yesterday he was toddling around the house in a onesie. But then again, I hadn't frequented the Uchiha manor very often since Itachi and his father had that falling out nearly four years ago. Sasuke was getting uncomfortably close to the age he was in the story when he awoke his sharingan, in the aftermath of his clan's destruction.

But since Itachi had yet to even become a chunin, I had faith that I could stop the massacre, by his hand at least. The village elders were a whole other factor, as well as the possibility that, given the chance to live, the Uchiha would in fact rebel. Then as predicted by Danzo, enemy forces would no doubt take that opportunity to invade, and a Fourth Great Shinobi War would begin, almost a decade too soon. So all I could really do was hope that all this training would help me make a difference, somehow.

I hefted a great sigh, and Itachi noticed. His hand snuck over under the table and covered mine. He tried to give me a reassuring smile, but with the dark circles blooming under his eyes and the sickly pallor on his skin, it was hard to be positive.

"How's your leg, Mayu?" Dai said past a mouthful of his third granola bar.

"Starting to get some feeling back." I took my hand from Itachi's quickly, a blush covering my cheeks, and prodded at my stiff leg, "We should be ready to go in a few minutes."

Itachi gave a little sigh of relief, "I can practically smell your mother's cooking from here."

"Ohhh, what is Rina-san making for dinner tonight?" I could almost see the hearts in Dai's eyes. The boy had a massive crush on my mother, which I found more than a little disturbing. But I supposed anyone who could cook like she did would have a firm hold on an Akimichi.

I rolled my eyes as they helped me to my feet, a little more enthusiastically than before, "Kami give me strength to deal with my two pig teammates."

Sasuke perked up, "You're not staying for dinner, brother? But you said you'd help me practice with shuriken today!" He crossed his arms and pouted, "You never stay around to-"

Itachi reached over and gently poked Sasuke's forehead with his index and middle fingers, he gave Sasuke a sad smile, "Some other time, Sasuke."

We were halfway down my street when Itachi pointed down the road, towards my house, "Is that a toad?"

Both Dai and I squinted to see what he was pointing at. And as we got closer, it was revealed that, yes, a toad was in fact sitting on my doorstep. He was wearing a red short-kimono, with a clay pipe sticking out from between his lips. And he was about as big as a garbage can.

"Oh, you're home!" The toad called, making all three of us jump backwards a few steps. Dai's mouth was hanging open, and he was pointing at the toad like it was something from another planet,

"T-Talking frog! We're _crazy_! We're _dead_! Katsumi-Sensei killed us and this is the afterlife _andit'sfulloftalkingfrooooooogs_!" Dai looked like he was about to start frothing at the mouth, so I calmed him down,

"Uh, Um, actually. I think I might know who sent this _little _guy." My heart was pounding as I addressed the toad, who looked very offended that Dai had called him a frog, "Are you a messenger toad, did Jiraiya-sama send you?"

With a little huff, and a glare at Dai, the toad nodded and opened his mouth. His tongue unrolled, and when it had stretched the distance over to me, underneath the very last roll was a scroll, miraculously untouched by the goo dripping everywhere.

"Jiraiya?" Itachi turned wide, shocked eyes to me. And these days, it was hard to shock him, as he usually kept his features schooled, "You are corresponding with one of the Sanin? How much talking did you _do _on the way to your house that night?"

I tried not to sweat under his scrutiny, "Not all that much. But I think my cute little girl charms got under his skin enough for him to agree to be my penpal!" I grinned over at him, and could tell he wasn't fooled for a second. But he didn't seem to want to get into it with Dai standing right next to us, still freaking out about the giant toad.

"He says he won't be able to respond for three weeks, at least, and you should know why," The toad chirped, reminding us of his presence, "But after that time, when you're ready, hit the seal at the end of the message with some chakra, and I'll come back for your response. Have a nice day, Kobayashi-san!" And with that, the toad vanished with a wet little 'plop'. Huh, and here I'd thought everything in this world had to have an accompanying smoke puff with their departure.

We stood there for a minute, staring at the intricate gold plated scroll in my hands. It was big, with delicate metal lattices weaving through each other to form a chakra lock in the middle, that I assumed only my unique chakra signature would open.

"...Well?" Dai was impatient as ever, prodding my side, "Don't keep us in suspense! If you're penpals with one of the legendary Sannin, I wanna see what he wrote! Is he gonna teach you to summon frogs, is it some top secret forbidden jutsu? Is it-"

"Yes, I'm curious as well." Itachi said, smoothly cutting Dai off.

Well this just couldn't continue. I shrugged away from both of them, holding the scroll close to my chest, "Okay, just let me explain-"

" I knew there was something more!" Dai cut in, his eyes wide, "You and one of the Sannin are working on a super top secret mission together, aren't you?"

I ground my teeth and sighed, "No, Dai. And what I want to explain, is the reason why I don't have to tell either of you anything about this scroll." I waved it in front of their faces, "It's because it's mine, and it's my business. So let's just drop it, shall we?"

Dai let out a droning groan that seemed to go on forever. Meanwhile Itachi narrowed his eyes to slits and appraised me with a distance he'd seldom given me before. I felt odd, as we had no secrets between us, and he was used to me telling him everything without reservation. He wouldn't show it, but I knew there was hurt buried in those eyes.

I sighed, we'd have to talk about this later.

For now, I tucked the scroll into my pack, and put a subtle sealing tag on the clasp, knowing that at some point in the night, Dai would try and sneak into my room and read the scroll himself. Which wouldn't work because of the lock, but I still didn't want the thing leaving my house. No doubt Konoha's finest could find a way to crack the thing, given time. And then, depending on how loose lipped Jiraiya was in his letter, I'd be royally screwed.

When we got inside, Dai was still complaining, loudly. And I prayed he would shut up before my parents caught wind of what _exactly _he was talking about. But thankfully, someone was listening up there; the smell of my mother's cooking hit the three of us like a wall. All three stomachs roared in response, and all three faces colored in embarrassment at the intrusive sound.

"Eh? Was that Dai-kun I heard out there?" My mother's singsong voice drifted out from the kitchen, "I have a whole chanko nabe hot pot prepared just for you, with that appetite of yours! And I hope Itachi-kun is with you, because I've made my special tonkatsu with cabbage."

Itachi seemed to put the scroll out of his mind for at least a moment at the mention of cabbage. The boys promptly raced into the kitchen, where the table was steadily filling up with food as my mother whipped around like a culinary Goddess. There were two hot pots-despite the fact that it was high summer; my mother knew the jam packed nutrition based nature of the food was essential to the shinobi diet- one the chanko nabe, the other a massive stone pot overflowing with fresh fish cakes and daikon. Oden was both my father and mine's favorite, and I tried not to drool. Next to the hot pots, was a huge platter of saba yakizakana, and several large rice bowls, ringed by smaller bowls of every kind of vegetable and steamed nori under the sun. Between me, my teammates, and my hard working father, Mother was used to making big meals. Especially when she knew there'd be an Akimichi at the table.

I took the opportunity of the boys being positively spell bound by the spread of food to sneak off upstairs.

When I got into my room, I locked the door behind me and looked around for a safe spot to stash my bag. The desk was too obvious, under the bed was just plain stupid, and the closet...well with the way my closet was I doubt even _I_ would find it in there later.

"I usually wouldn't look in your dresser." Itachi had appeared, literally out of nowhere from behind me. I whipped around and held the bag close to my chest.

But in a flash, he ripped it away from me and threw it on the bed. Then, I was backed up against the wall till my back thumped against it. His hands went to either side of my head, and his face was only a few heartbeats away from mine. I could smell the cherry energy drink on his breath.

"I want you to know, Mayu; I don't care what's in that scroll." Itachi's dark eyes bore into mine, a few strands of his hair falling into his face, "I want to be there to help you with anything you decide to take on, even a mission from a Sannin. So write to Jiraiya, and you don't need to tell me what it's about...but…" His fist clenched next to my head, and I saw pain blossoming in his eyes, "Don't...hide it from me. Don't sneak around like this. I don't ever want you to feel like you can't trust me."

I was speechless. He was waiting for a response, but I just couldn't talk. My heart was beating so hard I felt light headed, and I knew the blush had to have taken over my entire face by now. His eyes were so intense, and if I looked close enough, even in this low light, I could see the minuscule rips in the iris that could so easily tear into the sharingan. I wondered for a moment, if it hurt.

My lips parted, and my fingers touched his cheek just below his eyes, without my permission. Itachi blinked a few times, then his lids lowered and he looked at me from under his eyelashes. He leaned fractionally closer, his eyes glancing down to my lips. I took in a small breath, the warmth from his mouth so close to mine, that I could almost taste it.

"HEY! YOU'RE HIDING THAT SCROLL, AREN'T YA MAYU?!" The pounding at the door jerked us apart so quickly that I just about screamed, "TELL ME WHAT JIRAIYA SAAAAIIIIIIIddddd…" The yell turned into a whine, and I heard a rustling sound that had to be Dai leaning against the door and sliding down to sit against it,"I'm not letting you out of this room till you tell me what the scroll says!"

I glanced over at Itachi, he was trying to steady his breathing, but his eyes were still hooded and he looked at me like he didn't quite understand what he was seeing. It took him a moment, but he managed to collect himself enough to walk over to the door, and swing it open.

"Your plan has some holes in it, Akimichi-san." Itachi said with the smallest of smirks, "As the door you were prepared to guard happens to open inward. That would be one of the mistakes I'm sure Sensei would send you on laps around the village for."

Dai nearly tipped over when Itachi opened the door, and looked up at him in astonishment, "You're...you're working together? Co-conspirators!..." his lower lip trembled, "and you didn't include _me_? We've been on a team together for nearly a year now; I thought we bonded, Mayu-chaaaaaan!" He whined flopping onto the ground in his little track shorts and banging his fists against the ground. I almost laughed at how cute he was. How could an adorable little loli boy like this be an Akimichi?

"Well, how about this," I said, squatting down next to him as he pressed his face into his arms, refusing to look at me, I began to whisper, "as soon as Jiraiya-sama sends me my top secret-super cool mission orders, I'll let you and Itachi know right away, and we can go kick the butts of whatever bad guy the awesome Sannin points us at! But right now, we are just trying to figure out where the bad guys are hiding...so it wouldn't be very interesting for you anyways. Just a bunch of boring maps, and data."

Dai peeked up over the fluffy sleeves of his windbreaker, one dark blue eye regarding me with suspicion, "Just a bunch of maps and numbers?"

"Yup." I said with a helpless shrug, "I'm afraid mission planning is all very dull."

He considered it for a moment, and then narrowed his one visible eye at me, "And you promise you'll tell me when it's time to go get the bad guys?"

I nodded, with the utmost seriousness, "Of course! I'd never dream of leaving you out, Dai-kun!"

In a second, Dai had popped off the ground and slammed his hands onto his hips, "Then I'll just have to train super hard till that day," He pointed behind me at Itachi, who looked _highly _amused, "so I can beat that stupid Itachi, and impress Jiraiya _so _much that he'll make me his apprentice!"

I grinned at him, and we bumped fists, "I'd bet on Dai Akimichi any day."


	14. Chapter 14

**And here we go! Sorry this update took longer; I've been working a lot this week and haven't had time for much of anything! But hey, this story has a cover photo now, so there's that. It's kind of half assed, so you'll have to just bear with it as I didn't have much time to sketch and ink it. **

**Anyways, enjoy this chapter for the itsy bitsy little filler that it is. Big things to come!**

**Let me know what you think,**

**-Ms.P**

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><p>Miraculously, at the beginning of my third week of waiting to respond to Jiraiya's letter, Katsumi-Sensei gave us time off.<p>

She was very mysterious about it, only leaving a note at our regular training ground outside the village when we gathered at dawn, like every other day. It said she had some preparations to make for our upcoming mission, and would need the week away. So we were free to do as we pleased for that duration of time, but to be ready when she returned.

And the last line said...that our first C-rank mission would take us Yuki no Kuni- the _Land of Snow._

I was practically bouncing with excitement. The Land of Snow was _beautiful _in the movie, so I could only imagine what it looked like in real life. Not to mention all the fantastic things they had; railroads, airships and _cars_. It was about as close to my old life as I was going to get here in the shinobi universe. Not to mention…

Going to the Land of Snow would be my first trip outside of Konoha! It'd be like an armed vacation, and in this world, that was about the only kind you could take.

I sat back in my bed, reading over my reply to Jiraiya one more time. Today was my last day off before training tomorrow morning, where Sensei would tell us the specifics of our mission. I didn't know which I was more excited about, sending the letter, or bugging Katsumi for details.

Jiraiya's letter had been delightfully non-specific. He'd only mentioned that my information was good, and he had a better lead on his "Slithering Friend" than ever before. He'd even uncovered one of the secret labs in the land of Lightning. He told me because of these good results that he'd like to help prevent an up and coming tragedy- I knew he meant the Uchiha massacre looming on the horizon. I'd hinted at it in our conversation and I assumed he drew his own conclusions. I was thankful to have someone on my side.

But now, I wasn't sure how it was even going to happen. Since Itachi certainly wasn't going to get any orders from the Elders, I was fairly certain that he was no longer a player in that particular game. My attention would have to turn to Danzo now, as he was likely to send a squad of ANBU out to do the job instead.

I said as much in my reply, but also inquired about a time that Jiraiya might return to the village, so we could talk face to face. After all, we'd barely gotten time to know each other, all those years ago.

There was a knock on my bedroom door and I looked up, blinking in surprise.

"Just a second!" I hopped up, stashing the scroll in my sealed backpack. Then, pulling on a tunic over my rather revealing tank top, I padded over to the door. When I opened it, I was surprised to see my father standing there. His hands were behind his back and he was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet,

"Hey sweet heart." He smiled at me, the delicate lines around his eyes crinkling up.

"Dad, I thought you were at work." I raised an eyebrow; it was Wednesday and Father was the coordinator of a project to update several of the older clan houses in the village to proper living standards. It was a massive undertaking and paid well enough that Mother and Father were considering moving us into a nicer house, closer to the center of town.

"I was." He said slowly, "But, I knew that you were going to start getting busy again tomorrow, and wanted to take this opportunity to give you something."

I tilted my head to the side, it was still in the heart of summer; no where near my birthday.

"Well, I certainly won't turn down a gift," I grinned and stepped to the side to let him into my room. He shuffled in and looked around at the drawings pasted all over the walls. They'd changed again over the last several months. Many were of Dai and Itachi running through various taijutsu forms, or sparring, as I often had time to sketch when they were locked in their matches. Others were of Katsumi-Sensei, and the other teams we would train with sometimes. I saw my father smile, though his eyes looked somewhat sad,

"Where did the time go, I wonder?" He looked back at me, "You've grown up so fast, my little evening star."

I rolled my eyes, not fast enough, more like it, "Dad, I'm only eleven."

"And about to leave the country on your first big mission," He pointed out. That seemed to remind him of his point and he smiled again, "Speaking of which, close your eyes and hold out your hands."

I eagerly did so; I loved gifts like any other child. And something about my father's expression gave me a feeling that this would be a very special one indeed.

After a moment, i felt his rough fingers brush gently against my wrist. There was the slightest sound, a little 'ssk' as something slid into place. A circle of something cool and solid pressed against my wrist.

"Alright, go ahead and look."

When I opened my eyes, I sucked in a little breath of wonder. Around my left wrist was a bracelet made of solid jade. It was so intricately carved that I had to bring it up close to my eyes to get a good look. It was a story, flawlessly interconnected and woven through the stone, depicting a child born from a sunset, who flew up into the sky and became the evening star. It was an old story that my father used to tell me when I was very small; he'd tell it over and over again before bed. He called me the one special star, that blossomed into existence as the sun would set, before all the others.

I could only stare at the cuff in wonder, twisting my wrist around to follow the story, and admire the way the stone caught the light. There were even individual little jasmine flowers carved along the length of it, weaving the story together.

Tears gathered in my eyes as I looked up at my father, who gave me a heartbreakingly sweet smile. He held out his arms, and I ran into them without reservation. With a contented sigh, he ran his fingers through my messy hair and rumbled a laugh, "We'll have to cut your hair soon; it's growing so long." I laughed into his chest, and rubbed my face against it. Nowhere felt quite as safe and warm as my father's arms. Nowhere ever had.

"I just want you to know, that wherever you go in this big world of ours; your mother and I will always be thinking about you, hoping you're staying safe, and sending you all the support we can muster," He swung me up into his arms and kissed the top of my head, "We love you so very much, Mayu."

I held onto him tightly, "I love you too daddy...thank you so much for this gift; I'm never taking it off!"

He chuckled, setting me down again and taking my wrist in his hand, "All you have to do is push in the second jasmine flower from the sun and it will snap open. Each time it's shut, you can change it to the size of your wrist; so it will grow with you."

How expensive was this thing? It must have cost a small fortune. I looked up and nodded at him, wiping my eyes on my sleeves. He smiled and ruffled my hair, "Now go outside and play like a normal kid! Don't just sit cooped up in your room on your last day of freedom. I've got to go back to work now, but I will see you at dinner, sweet heart." He leaned down and kissed my cheek, then left the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

I wandered over to my window, watching my father lock the front door behind himself, briefcase in hand, and head off down the street at a brisk pace. This must have been his lunch break; the man was such a hard worker. That's all I could remember of him from my childhood, constant effort, and a constant smile. I grinned to myself, liking to think that I might have inherited that from him.

There was a moment of silence, where I let the hot summer breeze ruffle my hair. I closed my eyes and listened to the cicadas, which chirruped so loud I thought they'd drown everything else out for sure. But the noise of the street broke through; kids laughing, a constant stream of conversation, the squeak of bicycles passing by.

This world had changed me more than I gave it credit for. Half the time I was so consumed thinking about this place as 'somewhere else' when really, I'd done more living here than the whole of my twenty two years in the other life combined. I grew up with a doting mother and loving father. I had the the best friends in the world, and unbelievable power at my fingertips.

Itachi's face swam up into my mind, and I imagined the warm, humid breeze like a ghost of his lips so very nearly touching mine.

Yes, I was very lucky indeed.

"Enjoying the weather, Mayu?"

My eyes fluttered open, and I looked down at the street. It was Wakana, standing out on the sidewalk. She grinned wide, and waved a hand at me, pointing to her brand new flak vest.

"The results came in! Guess who is Konohagakure's newest chunin?"

I gasped and leaned over the window sill, my face bursting into a huge smile, "Oh my goodness, Wakana! The results came in already?"

The blond girl threw her head back and laughed, "Yeah they did! It's been over a month since that Iwa bitch clobbered me. I was sure I wouldn't make it; but here I am. Come treat me to lunch! That bastard Mizuki and even Tsubasa are going to be there."

I smirked and tilted my head to the side, "You shouldn't talk so much crap about your teammates, Wakana."

She waved a hand through the air, "You don't have to spend so much time around them; you don't understand. You got Dark and Handsome, and loudmouth Akimichi. Both are strong, and neither are terribly unbearable." She huffed, "Now get down here; it isn't polite to keep a lady waiting."

I ran over to the mirror, throwing my cap hitai-ate on and adjusting it so the forehead protector gleamed on the crest of my skull. Then I tugged on my sandals and barreled out the door. It'd been so long since Wakana and I had gotten to properly spend time together. First she graduated before me, and was busy with missions all the time. Then I graduated and couldn't be pulled away from training for anything. And finally when things started to settle down, she raced off to Iwagakure for the chunin exams!

I burst out the front door and she opened her arms just in time to catch me. Wakana laughed as she swung me around in a circle, and then set me on my feet, grinning at me from just about eye level, "Woah, shrimp! You really sprouted up while I was away, huh?"

I laughed and pulled away from her, "Nah, you just grew faster than everyone else. Now we're catching up to you!"

She laughed and we linked arms, walking down the street together.

Lunch with team nine was fun. Mizuki was a passive-aggressive as ever, and it was revealed that he and Wakana still fought like cats and dogs. Tsubasa seemed to be a good mediator between them, though, with his laid back personality.

They told me all about their adventures in Iwa, during the month of preparation time they had before the final exam. And they recalled old missions, even one where Mizuki had gotten his hand stuck in a possessed tree, trying to get the summoning tag out of it. He still had the scar to prove it, and warned me about taking missions on that dealt with any kind of spirits; they were trouble. Even when nothing more than enchanted trees.

Lunch was fun, and the food was delicious, though I did end up treating Wakana just like she threatened. There was no arguing with that girl. But she made up for it when I left her at the flower shop. She brought out a little crown of violets and placed it on my head.

"Purple suits you," Said the girl who wore varying shades of violet without exception, "you should wear it more often. And come see me when I'm not off doing super cool chunin missions! We'll do _whatever _it is normal girls do on their days off," she grinned and pinched my cheek, "And stay out of trouble in the Land of Snow, ya hear?"

I smiled back, swatting her hand away from my cheek and clasping it with my own, "You know I will. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures for you!"

"Good, see you when you get back." She saluted, and disappeared inside the flower shop.

I walked along the street for a while, no particular destination in mind.

It'd been a long while since I'd had some time to myself; usually Itachi and Dai were tagging along. But that was part of being a team, especially one as new as ours. We were clinging together in the hopes that the ninja world didn't chew us up and spit us back out again. Dai was always so cheerful, that I could imagine him laughing boisterously about the analogy, mainly from its reference to something food related. If I checked any restaurants nearby I'd probably find him, after all.

I laughed to myself, and then blushed as a passing little girl with her mother pointed at my flower crown and started begging the woman for one of her own. Self consciously I touched the delicate violets. Maybe purple really was my color.

I ended up walking across half of Konoha that day, passing by all sorts of familiar places. I'd looped past several parks, the Hokage's office, the Academy, the marketplace, the library, and finally, I ended up standing on top of a taller building, looking at Hokage Mountain.

I felt at peace, staring up at the great leaders past. Though the mountain looked incomplete. I imagined Lady Tsunade, Kakashi, and Naruto's faces all staring back at me. The thought sobered me as I looked into the eyes of the four Hokage. Their stone faces stared out onto the village, watchful even in death. And I knew that no matter how sweet my world could be, I still had to save it. I clenched my fists and turned away.

There was work to be done.


	15. Chapter 15

**So, angsty stuff in here...but it's necessary! Remember when I said Mayu's past wouldn't be too important in this story? Well..I might have lied. **

**Enjoy! And let me know what you think!**

**-Ms.P**

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><p>"Are you sure this thing's safe?"<p>

"For the hundredth time; yes. It's perfectly safe."

"I dunno…"

"Oh for the love of...It's just a boat, Dai!" I groaned, sitting back against the cushioned seat to dig the heels of my hands into my eyes, "Not a rocket! Now calm down; you're going to wake the entire floor at this rate."

"Sorry that I'm not so excited about being jammed into a metal box with _you two_ for three days, floating in the middle of the _ocean_!" Dai crossed his arms and sat back in his seat. Our cabin was made up of two couches jammed in around a table, and four bunk beds squished in along the wall, with about two feet of space to move around in between. There was no bathroom; the communal facilities were located down the hall. Riding third class was just wonderful. Katsumi-Sensei was probably laughing her head off at our misery, in the VIP chambers upstairs. Damn her and her rich family.

"If you would stop yelling and flailing around, I'm sure you'd be much more comfortable." Itachi sat back to cross his arms tightly over his chest. We were crammed in together on one of the couches, and I could tell I wasn't the only one feeling a little claustrophobic. Though I'm sure it wasn't just the _un_pleasantness of our situation that was getting to him. Every once in a while, one of us would break from our rigid hold on ourselves and accidentally shift against the other. The movement would send a wave of goosebumps through the both of us and we'd both turn so red that Dai would get concerned that we'd pass out. A synchronized 'shut up' from Itachi and I sent him back into his sulking well enough. Thank Kami that boy had the observant powers of a dishrag.

"Easy for you to say, Itachi," Dai growled, "Nothing ever phases you. You just sit there like a bump on a log, with those _stupid _eyes of yours!"

Itachi smirked, picked up his hand of cards from the table, and showed them to his opponent. Dai let out a screeching whine and slammed his head down on the table; Royal flush yet again.

Itachi collected his winnings; six bags of honey-barbecue flavored chips, and two jumbo sized candy bars, "You're just angry he has a supreme poker face." I jeered, sticking my tongue out at the moaning Akimichi. I was only happy because I had no idea how to play two man poker and could only watch over Itachi's shoulder. At this point, I don't think even Dai, who seemed to have invented the game, knew how to play, and was losing with his own bogus rules. That either said something about Itachi's mental prowess, or Dai's deplorable lack of intelligence.

"Itachi, you can't take those chips from me. That's over half my supply! I'll never last three days on this blasted ship without them!"

The Uchiha blew a strand of hair out of his face; since it was late at night his silky hair was down and falling around his shoulders, "I shouldn't even be surprised that you brought a _dozen _bags of chips with you on this little road trip. Though, I have to wonder; if so many bags would only last you three days, what did you plan to do once we got to the Land of Snow? Sensei said the mission would last two weeks, at least, taking into account the time to travel into the Land of Iron, once we get there."

Dai blew a short raspberry and waved at Itachi dismissively, "HA! You know, for a 'genius' you sure aren't very smart! I'll just buy more when I get there, _obviously_!"

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "What if they don't have the _exact _brand of honey-barbecue that only the convenience store on the corner of Ganki and Mori street sells?"

Realization began to dawn on Dai's face, and he stared at the table, speaking very quietly, "...th-that…won't happen…"

Itachi let only the slightest smirk touch his lips, and I was working _so _hard not to bust out laughing, "Oh? And how can you be so sure?" He held up a bag of his winning chips, "How do you know that these bags won't be the last honey-barbecue flavored kettle chips you see for at least _two weeks_?"

And the dam broke, "PLEASE GIVE THEM BACK ITACHI!" Dai screeched, nearly climbing over the table to get to the chuckling Uchiha, "I'll do _anything_, I'll be your servant, I'll walk around the ship naked, _just give me back the honey-barbecue!_"

After the threat of streaking, both Itachi and I couldn't hold back any longer, we laughed, hard.

In the end, wiping tears from his eyes once someone had banged on the wall next to us, wondering if we knew what time it was, Itachi gave the snacks back to the sobbing Akimichi boy-never having intended on keeping them in the first place. Dai had nearly kissed his feet, and scampered away to the top bunk to stow his goodies. Meanwhile, I shoved myself into the tiny closet next to the beds, and changed into my pajamas.

Itachi was sitting on the middle bunk when I came out, and he put a finger to his lips. After a moment I heard the gurgling snores of our teammate from somewhere near the ceiling, though the room was so dark I could barely see Itachi's figure so close to mine. Carefully, I climbed into the bottom bunk and pulled the covers up around my chin. The rocking of the ship was more comforting than I'd imagined, and I was out in seconds.

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><p><em>I was dreaming, I knew that already. But never had a dream felt so real.<em>

_I looked down at my hands, and gasped in shock. They weren't my hands; they were those of a stranger. The fingers were blokish and tanned, with writers callouses littering the left ones. The nails had chipped blue polish, and a ring on the middle finger of tarnished silver. I knew these hands; but they were mine no longer. _

_I was floating along in the ocean of the galaxy, just like the day I died, marveling at all the stars and nebula in the distance. I felt weightless, and free, with my memories and emotions set back at a distance. On my right, I saw a ship rocked in the gentle waves of the sea. I knew it was the ship Mayu, Itachi, and Dai were sleeping on, waiting to be carried across the water to the land of snow. Under the ship, there was a shape; it was immense in size and roiling with energy. I narrowed my eyes and floated closer, trying to get a better look at the thing. But it seemed to notice me, and I knew with the shift in its energy that it was heading away from the ship, and out of that reality._

"_Ah, I was wondering when we would get the chance to meet, girl."_

_I blinked several times, and the shape was right in front of me. It was so vast that it blocked my entire view of the stars. Yet the voice was not oppressive, It felt like a father gently rousing his child from sleep. _

"_What are you?" I asked, craning my neck to try and get a better look. But it was black as the void and just as unintelligible. It consumed my entire world, locking around me to keep me from drifting farther into space._

"_I am the one that you fooled, girl." It said slowly, "I've been watching you, trying to see how it is you've stolen my power. But as of yet, even my vast knowledge has offered no answers."_

_I'd never stolen anything in my life. Not even a pack of gum from the gas station. That this massive entity was accusing me of something so monumental, I felt frightened. My emotions were starting to reconnect and I began to feel pressure closing in, from all sides._

"_I don't understand," I said, water trickling in the sides of my mouth when I opened it to speak, "How did I fool you? Who are you?"_

"_Rest assured, girl, I will reclaim what you have stolen from me, and I would know how you've done it. For now, use it well, keep yourself alive...I'll be waiting in the place where the paths converge, and even demons bow to God."_

"_Wait!" The darkness was receding, and I watched it mold into an elegant, terrifying shape. I heard the faint splash as it dropped back into Mayu's reality. Then, took back to it's loose circuit, lazily circling around her ship deep deep under the water. _

_Waiting._

_Water rushed in like a room to be flooded, and I was knocked around by the currents. They pulled and tugged and I felt panic overcome me. I looked down at my wrist and saw a paper band there, with a patient room number for Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola Florida. I looked up at the fading surface of the water and saw a blurry figure standing high above me, and I felt enraged. My long, blond hair was fanning out around me as I hit the bottom, the storm above rocking the waves into a fever pace and keeping me pinned against the sandy ocean floor. _

_My poor, weak heart was pumping as fast as it could, in an uneven, frantic rhythm, Just as the surface of the water broke, and a shape began to descend towards me...my eyes closed...and my heart beat fluttered away to nothing…_

* * *

><p>"Mayu! Mayu!" I heard the voice like there was cotton stuffed in my ears. It was high, and upset. Vaguely, I felt that I knew that voice.<p>

"Mayu-chan! Please wake up! You're scaring me!"

My eyes fluttered open, and I took a gasping breath. My heart was hammering like I'd been holding my breath for hours, and I sat up coughing. I half expected water to have flooded my lungs, but surprisingly enough all that came up from my hacking and heaving was air.

Dai was kneeling on the bed next to me, his hands on my shoulders and his face red with tears dripping down his cheeks. His eyes widened when mine finally met them, and he drew me into a fierce hug,

"Mayu! I thought you were gonna die! You weren't breathing, and you were thrashing around so much; I didn't know what to do! Itachi left to shower a few minutes ago, and Sensei hasn't come to check on us! I was shouting, but I don't think anyone heard me…" He drew back and looked at me, his eyes wide, and scared, "What happened? Why were you acting like that?"

I barely even saw him. Pushing the shocked boy out of the way, I stumbled up from the bed. Wildly, I grabbed my hip pack and lurched out into the hallway.

"Mayu!? Where are you going?" Dai scrambled after me.

I couldn't respond; I just felt the weight of it on top of my head. It felt wrong; it felt like a weakness.

The bathrooms came into sight, and Dai was left behind when I slammed open the door to the girls facilities. I locked it behind me. The poor Akimichi boy was left banging on the door, concern and fear coloring his voice. But I was beyond caring about it now. Memories flashed in my mind, and none of it made sense. The one thing I could pick out; fingers threading through my hair, then grabbing it tight, painfully tight. Dragging me, kicking and screaming to the edge. A storm raging.

I flipped a kunai out of my pack, holding it in a shaky hand and using my other to grab a fistful of the unruly mop atop my head.

It must've been about fifteen minutes before I heard the lock on the door snap, a loud 'clink!' when the metal hit the tile of the bathroom floor. I was huddled in the corner of the bathroom, my head buried in my arms and knees drawn up to my chest, the kunai clutched tightly in my hand and a pile of hair spread out around me on the floor.

This new voice was cautious, and it tugged at my mind to bring me back into this body. It pulled at me to let go of the other world, the other memories. All the work I'd done over the years to control this body, to make it mine, was in this voice. It sounded like sunlight flavored with the delicate designs of a paper door, warm and clutched close in an afternoon nap under a quilted blanket. It sounded like laughter ringing through a flower field at high noon. It sounded like the reddening cheeks and nervously extended hand of a winters day.

"Mayu...Mayu, I'm here…" Hands, calloused from training slid down my arms, to gently clasp mine. The fingers touched mine gently, sliding the kunai away from me. They traveled back up my arms to my shoulders, and around to my back. One hand lingered there, between my shoulder blades, and the other slid around under my knees. I was weightless.

He carried me through the hallways, and I felt my reality solidifying. I could feel the salty wind when he passed out onto the deck. I could smell the sea, and the sunlight warmed my tear stained face. The call of the sailors, and the gulls mingled as my mind settled back into my body, the other reality sinking back under the roiling waves of my dreams.

"Itachi.." I mumbled, one of my hands clutching his shirt weakly.

"It's alright. We're almost there."

I could feel him climbing up a set of stairs, and then another. The sounds of the sailors drifted into the background, and I opened my eyes.

It was no longer the crushing darkness from the bottom of the ocean, or even the ambient light of far off galaxies and stars. It was sunlight, harsh in the height of summer reflecting down on an endless world of water all around us. Itachi had carried me out to the communal balcony of the second floor near the mess hall on our passenger ship. The small space was blessedly empty, and out of the corner of my eye I spotted Dai with his back to us, making sure no one wandered out there to interrupt.

Our little nook was shaded by the upper floors of the ship, but the warm salty wind was enough to feel the burn of the sun.

Itachi didn't say anything, he simply sat down on the bench and pressed my head into his shoulder, keeping his other hand under my knees to hold me close. I snuggled into him; it felt like he was putting me back together.

"I'm sorry." I said after a while of silence.

He shook his head, and I saw a smile touch his lips, "What could you possibly have to be sorry for?" He sounded mystified, and his voice was so soft.

"I dunno…" my brows furrowed, "scaring Dai, locking myself in a bathroom, being emotionally unresponsive…" one of my hands came up to my head and I grimaced at the uneven stubble I felt there, "...cutting all my hair off again…"

A chuckle vibrated through his chest, "I told you; makes you look edgy," he paused, and then I felt his cheek against the top of my head, "and sweet. I can see your whole face again. I'd call it a winning situation."

I couldn't help but laugh, bringing my fingers up to intertwine with some of his long, chocolate colored hair, "Well, I guess you'll have to have enough hair for the both of us, hm?"

Itachi smiled, and used a hand to tilt my chin up so our eyes met. I could see hidden worry in his deep, dark eyes, but the main emotion could be described as nothing less than adoration. My heart thudded a little faster and I smiled at him, putting a hand on his cheek, "See, I'm fine now. Just a bad dream…"

He nodded, knowing there was more to it but deciding to let me tell him in my own time. He pressed his forehead to mine and nuzzled it there for a moment, letting out a breath. It smelled like mint; he smelled _clean_. Dai must have run to the boy's bathroom and pulled him from the showers; his hair was still dripping wet, and smelled like the plum soapstone that was unique to the apothecary in the Uchiha compound.

It was a while before we heard a little cough from behind us.

Itachi turned and I peeked over his shoulder. Dai was standing there, looking more than a little awkward. But it seemed curiosity and concern had overridden his directive to stay away.

"Mayu-chan, are you okay now? I was so worried...and now your hair; It's just like that day Kenji attacked you!" He rubbed the back his head, "I like it, ya know? I think it makes you look older, and more powerful!" He grinned, "So, how about it, how're you feeling?"

I glanced at Itachi, and he gave me a subtle eye-roll with a smile, grinning, I turned back to Dai, "I'm feeling much better Dai. And yes; we can go to the buffet now."

Dai's mouth fell open, "That wasn't the only reason...I mean yeah the buffet sounds great and all but- I really wanted to make sure you were okay!"

Carefully, I climbed out of Itachi's arms, immediately missing his warmth, "I'm fine. Really, just a bad dream was all it amounted to. So," I walked over to Dai and threw an arm around his shoulder, "Shall we go see if they have any honey barbecue chips at the snack bar?"

Dai cheered, and he put an arm around my waist, practically dragging me back inside to the mess hall.

But Itachi stayed behind, looking out at the water. His eyes narrowed, and the sharingan slowly spinning to life. He went to the edge of the balcony, placing his hands on the rail and looking into the water alongside the ship.

He could have sworn...Itachi looked harder, the three commas spinning around his pupil as the sharingan strained to pick up traces of energy deep below the waves. But whatever he thought he saw had long since faded. Sighing, he blinked a couple of times; he supposed it was just his imagination. He closed his eyes, and when they opened again the sharingan had faded, and he followed his friends inside.

* * *

><p><strong>Lot's to take in, I know. But it shall all become clear in time...Thanks for reading!<strong>


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